Justus Suttermans

Lord Ormathwaite, Eywood, North Wales;
Sale on the premises, May 1895 (as Domenichino);
There purchased by G.W.M. (according to an inscription on the reverse of the canvas before it was relined);
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, July 10, 1992, lot 301 (as Circle of Domenichino).

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 has been lined with glue within the last 50 years. The paint layer is stable and has been fairly recently cleaned and varnished, most likely at the same time. The restorations that are visible under ultraviolet light address some vertical marks in the cloak and on the left background, which may correspond with some water drips which might have blanched the paint layer slightly. A few dots have also been applied in the forehead and beneath the mouth. Overall however the picture is healthy and ready to be hung as is.
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.

Baldinucci, the artist's biographer and contemporary, describes how the young Suttermans (or Sustermans) was noticed by Willem de Vos in his native Antwerp and taken on as an apprentice at a young age.  After some travels to see the work of other painters, Suttermans found himself in Paris for three and a half years, two of which he spent in the house of Frans Pourbus.  He remained there until he left for Italy in the company of a group tapestry weavers who had been summoned to Florence by Cosimo II, hoping from there to continue to Rome in order to further his artist study.  However, he was quickly engaged in Florence, and there he remained, with some brief sojourns abroad, for a period of some forty years, becoming court painter to the Medici and one of the most esteemed portraitists in Italy.

The present Portrait of a Bearded Gentleman exemplifies the elegant and insightful style that had won Suttermans an international reputation.  Its directness of presentation belies its sophisticated handling and composition. The sitter is soberly dressed against a dark background, and the head is exquisitely modeled; the artist's Flemish origins are evident in the lively brushwork and rich coloration of the sitter's head.  Such insightful portraiture was not unprecedented in Florence, and it seems that the artist must have been aware of the work of an earlier generation of painters, most particularly Cristofano Allori.  Portraits by Allori such as the Bernardo Davanzati Bostichi (Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford), exhibit the same intense focus on personality, and the same meticulous attention to the flesh and texture of hair.

The simplicity of this portrait recalls most immediately what is perhaps the artist's most famous image, his Portrait of Galileo Galilei of 1636 (Uffizi, Florence).  Like in the present painting, the famous scientist is shown in a simple black costume with a while collar against a dark background, gazing directly at the viewer.  The present portrait would appear to anticipate the Galileo by a few years, and stylistically appears to be closer to canvases such as the Pandolfo Ricasoli (Pitti, Florence) which has been dated to circa 1630.

The attribution to Suttermans was first suggested by Anne Sutherland Harris, and confirmed by Marco Chiarini.