Martinus van Grevenbroeck

With Dowdeswell & Dowdeswell, London, October 1919;
John Ambler, Thorpe Underwood Hall, Ouseburn, Yorkshire;
By whose executors sold, London, Christie's, 4 May 1933, lot 104, for £9.9s.;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Lady'), London, Sotheby's, 24 June 1936, lot 44, for £8.10s., to Hess;
Sir Sidney Herbert, 1st Bt. (1890–1939);
His posthumous sale, London, Christie's, 28 July 1939, lot 97a.

E. Waterhouse, The Dictionary of 16th and 17th Century British Painters, London 1988, p. 113, reproduced.

The painting is in overall good condition. The panel is uncradled, flat and stable, made up of three vertical planks joined with butterfly battens. There is a small crack, running vertically from the lower margin, approx. 20 cm. from the right margin, measuring 4 cm. The paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish is slightly discoloured and uneven. There are a handful of small discoloured retouchings in the sitter's fringe, the lower right corner, and to the left of the sitter to minor surface scratches, the longest of which measures 7 cm. There also appear to be some delicate, slightly discoloured spot retouchings along the wood grain in the sitter's face and in his robe. Further inspection under ultraviolet light is, however, impeded by an opaque, milky varnish. Offered in a later painted carved 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."

Edzard Jacob Tjarda van Starkenborgh features in a second portrait by Grevenbroeck in the collection at Landgoed Borg Verhildersum, near Leens, in Groningen. This is a family portrait depicting all twelve members of the Tjarda van Starkenborgh family. Verhildersum was the family seat, and Edzard was his father's heir, and so it may be presumed that the present portrait once also hung there. Grevenbroeck painted a further signed group portrait of Edzard's sisters, Bouwina, Anna and Frederica, now in the Groninger Museum, Groningen (inv. no. 1990.0419).