Studio of Willem Wissing

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Family Trust"), London, Sotheby's, 13 November 1996, lot 43, where acquired by the present owner.

The painting is more mellow in tone and richer in colour than the catalogue illustration would suggest. The canvas has been lined and the paint surface appears to be in very good overall condition. There is no apparent damage or loss of paint visible to the naked eye, except for some minor abrasion along the lower canvas edge, and two small vertical cracks, now stabilised, located in the sky and running down the upper canvas edge each measuring approx. 2 in. There also appears to be a localised lightly blanching varnish and minor surface dirt. Examination under ultraviolet light confirms the presence of the varnish and reveals some old campaigns of strengthening in the background, particularly to the tree upper right. The sitter has had some retouching concentrated around her nose and eyes; a combination of strengthening to the areas of shadow and infilling to an old craquelure. There is also some very minor flecks of retouching on her chest and left sleeve and to a lesser extent elsewhere in her costume. Offered in gilt wood frame 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 picture relates closely to the three-quarter length portrait of Anne, painted shortly after her marriage to Prince George of Denmark in 1683, which she took to Holland as a present for her sister Mary (Royal Collection). A close friend of Sarah Jennings, later Duchess of Marlborough, who was one of her ladies in waiting, Anne was the second daughter of James, Duke of York, later James II, and his wife, Anne Hyde, daughter of Lord Clarendon. Following the death of her brother-in-law, William III, she succeeded to the throne of Great Britain in 1702. Despite seventeen pregnancies only one child, William, Duke of Gloucester, survived infancy. William died in 1700 aged eleven, thus ending the Protestant line of the Stuart monarchy. She was succeeded by her distant cousin, George I, Elector of Hanover.