English School, circa 1800

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This canvas has a lining applied with wax, which is reversible. The paint layer is stable even though the surface is slightly uneven. The work is clean, retouched and varnished and could be hung in its current condition. Numerous retouches are visible under ultraviolet light, the bulk of which seem to attend to tiny drying cracks throughout the figures and particularly in the sky. There is presumably some abrasion to the softer darker colors, but it is these separation cracks which have attracted most of the retouching. There is a concentration of retouches beneath the skeleton in the horse's neck, but the remainder of the skeleton is healthy. While there is a fair amount of retouching, the clarity of the details is still quite impressive.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The attribution of this vigorously colored and dynamic composition has thus far eluded scholars. A suggestion to the English water-colorist Edward Dayes has been tentativley suggested based on comparison with his The Fall of the Rebel Angels in the Tate Britain (inv. T05210).