Gillis van Tilborgh, Jan Siberechts

The Counts Sandizell, Schloß Sandizell; 
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 5 July 1995, lot 195.

The canvas has recently been relined cleaned and restored. There is an old vertical seam running down through the canvas in line with the manor house. The paint surface is in good overall condition, having suffered no major damages and comparatively little wear for a painting of this size. The bluish tones in parts of the landscape can be accounted for naturally fugitive yellow pigments. Although the size of the canvas prevents proper assessment under ultra violet light a number of repairs can be discerned: the largest is a 15 x 10 L-shaped tear in the landscape centre right and there is a smaller 6 x 6 cm V-shaped tear just below this. There is a repaired old area of damage of circa 5 x 3 cm just to the right of the manor house. Apart formthis restoration is confined mostly to local areas of loss or wear or small lacunae scattered over the picture surface, such as the orchard. Intervention is most notable in the figures lower left, among whom the two gentlemen, the nurse and the girl on the right have been most affected. the foreground landscape to their right has been much washed over, as have parts of the sky to moderate the efects of wear. the restoration has been well carried out and is not obtrusive to the naked eye. The varnish layer remains clear and even and the painting should not require further attention. Offered with a gilt wood frame with laurel leaf decoration in good condition.
"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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is a collaborative family portrait by Gillis van Tilborgh and Jan Siberechts, two artists of Flemish birth who both turned to England to further their careers. This portrait, however, undoubtedly represents a Netherlandish family (traditionally identified as the Van der Wittes, though on an unknown basis), the artists placing their subjects on an unlikely steep rise overlooking their large estate. Most noticeable are the extensive formal gardens that surround the castle.

Siberechts specialised in the depiction of important estates, and he usually employed an artificially high viewpoint (and thus an element of imagination) in his representations of them. In England he painted some of the most important country houses, including Longleat in 1678, Bayhall and Wollaton Park. Tilborgh is perhaps better known for his more informal scenes of everyday life in the style of David Teniers but, like Teniers himself, he occasionally ventured into more formal representations of patrician or rich mercantile families.