Manner of David Vinckboons

Mrs. William Crocker, San Francisco;
With Barker Brothers, Los Angeles, until 1931;
Mrs. Hugo Rumbold, Green Fountains, Pasadena;
Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 19 May 1993, lot 82 (as School of David Vinckboons);
There purchased by the present owner.

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. It seems that this fairly large piece of copper is structurally healthy. There is one slight bend in the upper right corner. It is a very complex composition. While some areas seem to be in reasonable condition, many other areas are in ambiguous and questionable condition. Whether the period of the work is early 17th century, as one would expect, is questionable. The small group of figures beyond the canal in the center of the work seems to be old. There are areas of the picture, mainly in the foliage and trees that are certainly in healthy condition. Large areas of the composition have been added, probably in the Post-World War II era. The sky is completely repainted, as is the water. The complex architecture in many areas seems to be not original and much of the figure group and lawns in the foreground are also not original. It certainly seems to be unlikely that cleaning will produce a better or more attractive image. There are clearly condition issues with the work which have given rise to this extensive restoration and it is recommended that the work be hung as is.
"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."

This work follows a lost composition by Vinckboons known from an engraving by Nicolas de Bruyn (see K. Gooses, David Vinckboons, 1954, p. 12, fig. 3).