Roman School, first half of the 17th Century

Pasquale Costanza (according to a label on the reverse).

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. This work has not been restored for many years. The canvas is made of two pieces joined vertically through the center, possibly with another addition on the right edge of about 2 inches. The canvas seems to have a very old lining, which is probably not adequate for the future. There is one reinforcement attending to a paint loss immediately in front of the forehead of the woman in the red gown in the center. The stretcher is probably original. The painting is extremely dirty. Restoration is not easily identifiable. When the picture is cleaned, older restorations will presumably become apparent. There may be very old restorations around the edges and some restoration in the left forearm of Christ. There are numerous unrestored losses visible across the bottom edge and in the right leg of Christ. There are isolated unrestored losses in the darker colors above his left leg. There is also an unrestored damage in front of the head of the woman in red. Regardless, the condition of the paint layer seems to be extremely good. With careful lining, which would preserve the good texture of the surface, cleaning and retouching, the picture would be completely transformed.
"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."