Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen

Henry Montagu Upton, 2nd Viscount Templetown, Castle Upton, County Antrim, Ireland (1799-1863);
Thence by descent in the family;
A.S. Drey, Munich, by 1913;
Mr. Jacob H. Schiff;
By whose Estate sold, New York, American Art Association, 7 December 1933, lot 78;
There acquired by W. Greif;
Acquired by the grandparents of the present owner, circa 1980.

The panel is cradled but stable and flat, made up of three vertical boards. The joins are visible on the face of the panel with a few scattered resulting losses, as seen in the catalogue image. The paint surface overall is stable with some old retouching that has now discoloured slightly, primarily in the background and darks of the clothing. The sitters face and ruff appear largely untouched. There is some old retouching attending to thin cracks in the upper right corner. There is a fine surface scratch to the varnish in the background above the hat. Inspection under UV is difficult due to the milky nature of the old varnish though there appear to show the aforementioned retouches. The painting would benefit from a fresh varnish and the cracks could be retouched. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame with some knocks and losses.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen became one of the leading portrait painters of the emerging new English gentry during the early 17th Century. He was born in London in 1593 to Flemish parents, and trained in Netherlands until about 1618, when he returned to London. Through the 1620s and 1630s, he frequently portrayed sitters within a painted oval frame, such as the one in the present painting. The large black hat with a white lace-rimmed cap underneath and the wide ruff surrounding the neck of the sitter coincides with the attire of women in England’s Netherlandish communities circa 1630.  We are grateful to Dr. Karen Hearn for kindly assisting with the cataloguing and endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs.