""It's a bit of a head-scratcher, really," said one independent Old Masters advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity."
"The painting is "certainly trying to be a Corneille de Lyon," they explained, noting the preceding lot, another portrait of a man attributed to the artist, had much less competition."
""I can't fathom why this picture merits such a price," the advisor said."
A 16th-century portrait identified as "French or Flemish School" from Anton Philips's collection sold at Sotheby's New York on February 5 for $2.3 million, more than ten times its estimate. Four bidders competed in a roughly ten-minute contest. The work has previously been attributed to Corneille de Lyon and later to Lucas de Heere, but handling suggests a broader Franco-Flemish milieu. The auction record for Corneille de Lyon is $1.2 million, while the record for Lucas de Heere is about $27,000. Independent Old Masters advisors expressed puzzlement and questioned the high price given the attribution uncertainty.
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