The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Structural Condition The stretcher has a backboard which is not easy to remove so I did not have access to the reverse of the canvas for the purpose of this examination. The canvas however certainly appears to be lined and to be structurally sound and secure. Paint Surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows numerous very small spots and thin lines of retouching in the sky, which I suspect cover canvas grain and many of which may not really be necessary. Inspection under ultra-violet light also shows a repaired tear, the vertical inpainted line of which is approximately 36 cm in length and the two horizontal lines approximately 15 cm and 9 cm in length. This repaired tear runs across the soldiers in the centre of the foreground and up into the sky above the standing solider leaning against the canon. These retouchings are just visible in a strong natural light. There are other small scattered retouchings with a number of retouchings around the framing edges. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in stable condition having been restored in the past and the repaired tear in the foreground should be noted.
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