Last December at Sotheby's in London the Philips collection's large Ludolf Backhuyzen marine fetched £ 1,464,000 (around 2.2 million euros).
Naturally, this impressive result has revived interest in the Ludolf Backhuyzen marine in our own collection. The work in question is the Ships in a Storm off Enkhuizen, which was once owned in the 19th century by the Dutch sovereign William II. We are delighted to be able to offer this much-lauded Backhuyzen for 1.5 million euros.
Our highly competitive price is due to the original purchase cost. When the work was put up for auction, Backhuyzen specialist Gerlinde de Beer was not convinced of its authenticity. However, following the removal of a complete layer of overpainting, the veracity of Backhuyzen's authorship proved beyond doubt.
At the sale of the royal collection in 1850 the Backhuyzen achieved 5,650 guilders. Only six of the 192 works on offer went for higher sums, including a pair of portraits of the Pellicorne family now in the Wallace Collection. Indeed, the Backhuyzen also raised more than a floral still life by Jan van Huysum. The latter - now known as one of the Fattorini-Van Huysums - was resold 153 years later for £ 3,029,600 (4.5 million euros).
For more information please contact us: 070 361 55 75 or info@hoogsteder.com.