Abraham van Cuylenborch

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel has three evenly chamfered edges and one thinned edge. There is evidence of past worm infestation. On the paint side several small horizontal splits, in from the right hand edge, can be seen. The left hand edge has one slight damage. The paint layer is stable but in raking light the horizontal wood grain is prominent. As a consequence there is restoration present to reduce this wood grain. Further discoloured restoration can be seen in the sky where abrasion to the thin paint layer has occurred and to some of the flesh tones where the paint has been compromised. Apart from the above, the painting is in a reasonable condition . The removal of the slightly discoloured varnish would improve the tonality."
"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."

We are grateful to Dr. J.J. Saxton for proposing the attribution to Cuylenborch on the basis of photographs. Dr. Saxton dates the work to 1640-50 when Cuylenborch was working closely with Nicolaus Knüpfer. Dr. Saxton compares the present work with the artist's Venus and Cupid in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht, also datable to 1640-50, drawing particular attention to the idiosyncratic foreshortening and crisp facial features that characterise both paintings.¹

1. See Centraal Museum Utrecht. Catalogus der schilderijen, Utrecht 1952, p. 32, nr. 71.