Pier Francesco Mola

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 is in very good condition. It should be hung as is in its current frame. The panel is a single piece of wood with no reinforcements on the reverse. The surface of the wood is slightly rough but the dents and slightly grainy texture are all original and the artist certainly intended the surface to have a certain amount of texture. The painting is clean and varnished. Retouches are visible under ultraviolet light in a few tiny dots on the bridge of the nose, a few spots in the lower center, a couple of isolated spots in the hair and in the laurel wreath on either side of the head. Perhaps the varnish could be freshened slightly but essentially the painting is ready to hang.
"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 Francesco Petrucci who, based on an image, believes this to be an autograph work by Mola of circa 1650.  The same head was part of another painting by Mola that he knows of in a private collection, depicting Homer and Two Young Pupils (unpublished).