Gerrit van Honthorst

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 2 December 2014, lot 713 (as studio of Gerrit van Honthorst).

The panel is uncradled and made up of three planks joined vertically; it is stable and flat. The paint surface is stable and has been recently cleaned and varnished. In overall good condition. There is a small restoration in the left of the sitter's hair. Much of the impasto on the sitter's armour remains intact. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals scattered retouching in the armour and bottom of the hair. The mantle and face remain largely untouched. Offered in a plain stained wood frame in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The sitter was the fourth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine (1596-1632), and his wife Princess Elizabeth, only daughter of King James I. In 1642 he accompanied his elder brother, Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-1682), to England to fight for their uncle, King Charles I, in the English Civil War. He was created a knight of the Garter in exile in 1649, and in 1652, whilst serving as vice-admiral of the fleet, he was caught in a hurricane off the West Indies and went down with his flagship, HMS Defiance. Previously untraced, the composition of this portrait was, until now, known only from a studio replica dated 1639, formerly in the Craven Collection, at Combe Abbey, which was sold by Cornelia, Countess Craven at Christie’s in 1923.¹ There are also two further variants, with differences in the sitter's dress; one in the Musée du Louvre, Paris,² and the other last recorded on the art market in 1993 with the dealers Delden & Cie in Osnabrück. 

1. J. Richard Judson and R. Ekkart, Gerrit van Honthorst, Ghent 1999, p. 273, cat. no. 359, reproduced fig. 249.

2. Inv. no. 1366.