On 15 September 2026, Artcurial in Paris will offer a small portrait of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, with an estimate of €2,000–3,000 ($2,300–3,500). Its cataloguing, Netherlands, circa 1600, is cautious. Yet the image, the inscription and several intriguing historical details help explain why this damaged panel deserves a closer look.
The first thing one notices about this portrait may be precisely what counts against it. The panel is visibly damaged. A vertical split runs through the forehead, nose and beard. Another substantial vertical crack appears on the left, while horizontal damage is also visible. This is not an untouched painting whose only missing element is the name of its maker.
And yet the face retains a striking presence. The painter paid evident attention to the transitions between light and shadow around the eyes, the slightly pink complexion and the varying tones of the beard and moustache. The gaze is sharp without becoming overly theatrical. Below are a white ruff, black armour decorated with gold and a diagonal red sash. It is precisely this combination of painterly quality and historical specificity that makes the lot more interesting than its €2,000–3,000 ($2,300–3,500) estimate might initially suggest.
1558 is not an insignificant date
Artcurial goes no further in its catalogue than “Netherlands, circa 1600” and names no artist, workshop or circle. The panel measures 41 by 31 centimetres and, according to the catalogue, comes from a private collection. Elsewhere in the same sale, Artcurial uses qualifications such as attributed to, circle of and follower of. None is used here.[1]
Above the sitter’s head is a partially damaged inscription in gold. On the right, PHILIBERTVS remains clearly legible, while fragments on the left appear consistent with his title as Duke of Savoy. More striking still is the date 1558 in the upper-right corner.
Artcurial does not describe the work as “dated 1558”, but rather states that the panel bears annotations and that date, while the object itself is catalogued as circa 1600. A later copy could, after all, have reproduced the inscription of an earlier prototype. The inscription itself could also have been added or altered at a later date.
A duke in the Netherlands and the art of the court
In the years around 1558, Emmanuel Philibert stood at the centre of the Habsburg political world in which the international court portraiture of Anthonis Mor flourished. From 1555 to 1559, the duke served under Philip II as Governor of the Netherlands. The Royal Collection preserves an Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy by Anthonis Mor, dated circa 1555–60. The much larger panel, measuring 110.4 by 94 centimetres, shows him in elaborate armour, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece and a red command sash.[2]
The Artcurial panel is not simply a reduced copy of that composition. The cropping and presentation differ too substantially. Yet both belong to the same iconographic world: the young military leader, the dark background, ceremonial armour and red sash, combined with an intensely observed face.
After Emmanuel Philibert returned to his own territories, the artistic environment of the court shifted as well. His likeness continued to circulate within Savoyard court culture after his death. The death of a ruler did not bring an end to his painted presence. Prototypes were preserved, copied and adapted. A portrait produced around 1600 could therefore quite plausibly depict a duke who had died in 1580 while drawing on an image created in the 1550s or 1560s.
Is €2,000–3,000 really low?
That is ultimately the market question around which much of the interest in this lot is likely to revolve. For what appears to be a sixteenth-century princely portrait, €2,000–3,000 ($2,300–3,500) sounds low. But the market does not value only what appears on the front of a painting. It also takes into account authorship, condition, provenance and scholarly documentation.
The work is anonymous, and the auction house dates it roughly a generation later than the prominently displayed date. Its published provenance goes no further back than a private collection, and the visible damage to the panel is substantial. The crack running through the face in particular is not a minor issue.
In 2015, Dorotheum sold a much larger Portrait of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy by Jan Kraeck. The estimate was €15,000–20,000 ($17,500–23,000), and the purchase price was €18,750 ($22,000).[3] In 2018, Sotheby’s offered a monumental full-length Portrait of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, attributed to Giacomo Vighi, with an estimate equivalent to approximately €17,000–26,000 ($20,000–30,000).[4]
What are bidders seeing in it?
Perhaps not a hidden Anthonis Mor. But they may be seeing a painting whose immediate visual appeal is far easier to grasp than the art-historical questions it raises. The identification of Duke Emmanuel Philibert does not rest solely on a modern catalogue title: the old inscription in gold visibly preserves parts of his name and title.
For us, the appeal of lot 144 therefore does not lie in an artist whose identity can be demonstrated. Rather, €2,000–3,000 for a damaged anonymous panel provides an entry point into a much richer history of Netherlandish court portraiture, Habsburg politics and dynastic image-making. It is not difficult to understand why bidders might find that compelling. Whether they ultimately see it as a discovery is a question that can only be answered convincingly when the auction itself takes place.
Do you have a particular interest in this artist or in this subject?
Do you follow this artist, or have you come across a work you would like to know more about? We regularly research works appearing on the market and are always happy to exchange views on quality, provenance, art-historical context and previous auction results. You can contact us directly via info@antonello.art.
Notes and sources
[1] Artcurial, Maîtres anciens & du XIXe siècle, Paris, 15 September 2026, sale 6489, lot 144, Portrait of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1528–1580); oil on panel, 41 × 31 cm; estimate €2,000–3,000; provenance: Private Collection, Île-de-France. The catalogue notes “Fentes et restaurations” and inscriptions including the date 1558.
[2] Royal Collection Trust, Anthonis Mor, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1528–1580), c.1555–60, oil on panel, RCIN 403945.
[3] Dorotheum, Old Master Paintings, Vienna, 20 October 2015, lot 224, Jan Kraeck, A Portrait of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy, oil on canvas, 118.4 × 98 cm. Estimate €15,000–20,000; purchase price €18,750, including buyer’s premium.
[4] Sotheby’s, Fine Old Master & 19th Century European Art, New York, 1 February 2018, lot 518, attributed to Giacomo Vighi, Portrait of Emmanuel Philibert (1528–1580), Duke of Savoy, full length, wearing the robe of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation. Estimate $20,000–30,000 (approximately €17,000–26,000).
