Lot 177

The passages depicting the faces of all three figures, the bare parts of bodies of the two main figures, and their cream and coloured robes are all in reasonably good condition, with a fine craquelure to the bare parts of the main figures' bodies. Most other parts of the work, including the figures' hair, the garments of the third figure, and the landscape background are affected to various degrees by shrinkage cracking to the upper paint layer typical of nineteenth century bituminous paint, exposing the lighter-toned base layers in the cracks or, in the widest cracks, the canvas beneath.

Inspection under UV light reveals that the passages described above as being in generally good condition are, apparently, free of later work but that there are various areas of later work across the rest of the work, ranging from minor inpainting of cracks to larger areas of repainting. A couple of these areas are apparent in natural light but most of the retouching is not conspicuous. The signature and date are within an undisturbed part of the work and appear to be original.

The canvas has been laid down on a plywood panel, evidently around twenty to thirty years ago.

The frame, which appears to be original to the work, has various mostly small losses to its details and has had its original gilt surface refinished in gold paint.



The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to seek further information or request additional images during our pre-sale period where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice. Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.