Follower of Corneille de Lyon

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The panel is oak and is in good condition. The paint layer is slightly raised and there is some instability. There are some small restored losses to the hat and there are discoloured retouchings applied to reduce the dark diagonal cracks to the background and the finer dark cracks to the face, very little actual paint loss can be detected. The original glazes and scumbles to the flesh tones have been slightly compromised but otherwise the painting is in good condition. Removal of the discoloured varnish and restorations would greatly enhance the tonality. Offered in a gilt wood frame, some chips."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The sitter in this portrait closely resembles François, Dauphin of France, eldest son of François I of France (1494-1547), whose portrait by Corneille de Lyon is in Bayonne, Musée Bonnat, inv. 1027 (see A. Dubois de Groër, Corneille de La Haye dit Corneille de Lyon, Paris 1996, p. 135, cat. no. 30, reproduced p. 60).

As in Corneille's portrait, the young man in the present painting wears The Order of Saint Michael, the oldest French Royal Order.