Lucas Cranach le Vieux

Collection privée anglaise ;
Acquis chez The Brod Gallery, Londres par les actuels propiétaires

Condition report made by the restorer Pierre Bucat : Support: The wood of the original support , visible at some points of the original non-painted edge presents a vertical and regular grain, which gives a slightly fluted appearance to the surface (visible under grazing light), characteristic of a resiniferous wood. The original wood that was subjected to a strong curvature in the past has been thinned down to a 1 mm. thickness and has been glued on mahogany plywood. In the interest of symmetry, as the non-painted edge misses on the right edge, it has been replaced by a wood inlay. The whole system is stable. Preparation: The original preparation, visible on the upper and vertical left edges, is very thin, regular and covered with a network of very thin craquelure orientated towards the wood grain. A thin black painted line inside an incision drawn in the preparation delimits the composition. Pictorial layer: Original, regular and very thin material, without any impasto. Covered with a network of craquelure of the preparation. The fluidity permits the execution of very delicate details. Some little dots of wear on the blue background and on the black hat justified a restoration in the past, which is clashing today and presents white overflowing strokes. Apart from the retouches already visibles under natural light, the examination under U. V. light reveals the great execution quality, especially of the face. A quite dense retouching covers a rectangular area on the upper right corner. A test conducted with a mix of ethyl acetate and of dimethylformamid (50-50) on the left edge and on the signature confirms, if proof was necessary, the complete authenticity of the work.
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