Lot 178
  • 178

David Teniers the Younger

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • David Teniers the Younger
  • Soldiers Sacking a Village
  • oil on panel

Condition

Panel has been cradled and is flat. painting is clean and presentable in its present state. the paint surface has been well preserved and there is good detail in figures and foreground. ultraviolet light reveals some retouching along a horizontal join that runs through the sky. other scattered, small retouches in sky. some retouching can be seen in foreground at lower left and into figures at center, but for the most part the foreground areas look good with only a very few retouches. these have been well applied and there is no need for further work. In a black faux ebony wood frame.
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.

Catalogue Note

The various pentimenti in this unpublished work, hitherto known only through numerous copies such as that sold at Bonhams London, (27 October 2010, lot 62), may suggest this to be the prime version of Tenier's composition.  The ominous sky encompassing this tranquil setting is portentious of the violent scenes unfolding below.  Typical of Teniers' rural townscapes, the humble buildings, with a spired church in the background, encircle a central communal ground where the action unfolds.  The artist endows the essentially tragic scene with his usual humour, with a figure emerging from an upstair window to the right, a couple fleeing unseen lower left and the local pastor held captive in the centre.