Justus Suttermans

Dr. Vera Oldfelt, Sweden, by 1927, from whom acquired by
Birger Svenonius, Resarö, Sweden, by 1938;

Lund, Lunds Universitets Konstmuseum, 1927;
Konstak, Akademien för de fria konsterna i Stockholm av Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, 1929;
Stockholm, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Namnlösa porträt: utställning anordnad av Svenska Dagbladet, January 15-30, 1938, cat. no 541 (as Portait of a Gentleman);
Karlstad, Sweden, Värmlands Museum, Äldre Mästares Tavlor, November 6, 1941 - January 6, 1942, cat. no. 24, reproduced (as Erasmus Quellinus with an expertise from Dr. Gustave Glück).

Relined. the paint surface has been slightly pressed and there are thinnesses throughout the background, hair and costume where weave of canvas is visible. impasto is better preserved on the face. some old retouching along top edge is visible to naked eye and others in hair at right. ultraviolet light reveals scattered small retouches to face. In a carved and gilt wood frame with some nicks.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present portrait depicts Mattias, Cosimo II de' Medici's third son, and Governor of Siena from 1630.  As court painter to the Medici, Suttermans depicted Mattias and his siblings on a number of occasions.  The identification of the sitter in the present portrait as Mattias is here confirmed by the close resemblence of this subject's distinctive facial features to those in Suttermans' full length portrait of Mattias in military dress, now in the Palatine Gallery, Pitti Palace, inv. no. 1912.   It has been suggested that the artist executed the present picture a few years earlier than he painted the Pitti portrait, which dates to circa 1632, around the time that Mattias left Italy for Germany to fight in the The Thirty Years War (1618-1648).         

We are grateful to Dr. Marco Chiarini, who, based on photographs, has endorsed the attribution to Suttermans and has identified the sitter as Mattias de' Medici.