Attributed to Herman van Swanevelt

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 1 November 1972, lot 74.

Anne Charlotte Steland, Herman van Swanevelt (um 1603 - 1655): Gemälde und Zeichnungen, Petersberg, forthcoming, cat. no. G3, 1, reproduced G 228.

The actual painting is somewhat deeper in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has an old relining (glue). No damages are visible to the naked eye, and the paint surface seems to be in very good condition. A few tiny retouchings can be observed in the ruins centre right, in the lower foreground, and in the figures. The paint surface s under a lucid and glossy layer of varnish. Inspection under Ultra-Violet light confirms the aforementioned retouchings and reveals additional small retouchings in the sky and in the background left. Furthermore, a thin restored horizontal split, possibly relating older stretcher marks, is revealed below the upper edge, and a thin vertical one along the left edge. Offered in a decorative gilt wood frame with gilt plaster decorations, with a few losses. (MW)
"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.
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This somewhat unusual composition in Herman van Swanevelt's oeuvre shares the prominent position of the ruin with a few other works that were produced later in his career when he settled in Paris for the remainder of his life. See for example his landscape with Roman ruins, signed and dated 1645, in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (inv. no. DPG 11), a signed and dated 1652 composition with a large structure in the Landesmuseum, Mainz, and another landscape, signed and dated 1653 with a large ruin in the right foreground in a private collection, England.¹ However, typical of Van Swanevelt are the small but elongated figures and the animals situated in the middle foreground. The yellowish hues of the architecture and soil are colours the artist repeatedly used in his later Paris years. 

We are grateful to Dr. Anne Charlotte Steland for endorsing this attribution on the basis of a photograph. 

1. Written communication Dr. Anne Charlotte Steland (August 2008). See further Steland under Literature, cat. no. G1, 20; G1,38; G1,16.