When a painting titled Coastal Landscape with a Harbour, Fishermen and Merchants on the Shore was brought in for valuation, having been miscatalogued by another auction house, picture specialists Victor Fauvelle and Ed Beer immediately recognised a quality that compelled further investigation. Ed Beer said:
“The coastal landscape had all the hallmarks of a work by Bril: the luminous skies, rhythmic composition and delicate atmospheric depth. The painting stood out straightaway as something special.”
Paul Bril (1554–1626) was a leading Flemish landscape artist, born in Antwerp but active in Rome, where he established a lasting reputation.