Roman School, 17th Century

The painting is slightly brighter than it appears in the catalogue illustration. The canvas has been recently relined. The paint surface appears rather worn in the darks and in the background where the preparation ground is showing through. The still life elements have survived rather better however: the birds, lilies, fraises-de-bois and artichokes are all quite nicely preserved. Inspection under ultra-violetl ight reveals a repaired damage just to the right of the orange lilies in the centre (4 by 4cm.), an area of restoration in the lower right corner, retouchings in the background (particularly upper right) and along all four edges. The still life elements appear for the most part to be free of restoration, although they have worn a little thin in areas (e.g. the ledge is visible through the spine of the book and some of the dark background is visible through the white lilies). The varnish is discoloured but the paint surface does not require cleaning. The painted wood frame, with fruit and flower motifs, has some old worm holes but is generally sound.
"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."

This still life shares stylistic similarities with a pair of paintings formerly in the Pompilj collection, Spoleto, that were previously attributed to The Master of Hartford and that have more recently been tentatively attributed to Francesco Guerrieri on the basis of a comparison with another work given to the artist in the Francesco Molinari Pradelli collection, Bologna (see A. Emiliani & M. Cellini, Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri da Fossombrone, Venezia 1997, pp. 50-53, nos. 7, 8, 9, all reproduced). The upturned bunch of fraises de bois is a motif that recurs in one of the Spoleto paintings.