Studio of Sir Anthony van Dyck

The Earl of Warwick, Warwick Castle, 1815;
Lord Brooke, Warwick Castle, Warwick, 1969;
Private collection, Switzerland;
With David M. Koetser Gallery, Zürich, from whom acquired by the present owner in 1980 for £12,000.

London, Thomas Agnew and Sons Ltd., Sir Anthony van Dyck, November 7 - December 7, 1968, no. 39.

W. Field, A Historical and Descriptive Account of the Town of Warwick, 1815, p. 184 (as Rubens);
M. Passavant, Tour of a German Artist in England, 1836, vol. II, p. 83 (as Rubens' wife);
Sir Anthony van Dyck, London, Thos. Agnew and Sons Ltd., exhibition catalogue, November 7 - December 7, 1968, p. 40, cat. no. 39 (as Van Dyck);
E. Larsen, L'opera completa di Van Dyck 1626 - 1641, Milan 1980, p. 87, cat. no. 510, reproduced (as Van Dyck);
E. Larsen, The Paintings of Anthony van Dyck, Germany 1988, pp. 211-212, cat. no. 526, reproduced p. 212 (as Van Dyck);
S.J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar & H. Vey, Van Dyck, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven 2004, p. 361, under no. III.140 (as a copy of Van Dyck).

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 painting on panel is in very healthy state. The panel has an old crack in the center of the right side and the reverse shows some reinforcements in this area. The remainder of the painting is in good shape. The paint layer is quite dirty and will respond quite well to cleaning, although the dirt level does add a patina which is not unattractive.
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 composition derives from Van Dyck's double-portrait of Geertruide de Jode and her husband Jan de Wael, which he painted in 1629 (see, S.J. Barnes, N. De Poorter, O. Millar, H. Vey, Van Dyck, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven 2004, cat. no. III 140, pp. 361-362, reproduced p. 360).  

Other male members of both the de Jode and de Wael families also sat for Van Dyck.  The artist painted a double-portrait of Geertuide's father, the engraver Gerard de Jode and her brother, the engraver and draughtsman Pieter de Jode the Elder; Van Dyck painted another double-portrait of de Wael's sons, Lucas de Wael and Cornelis de Wael.  Both of those portraits are in the Capitoline Gallery, Rome.