Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen

With Martin Colnaghi, from whom purchased circa 1896, by 
Wallis & Son (the French Gallery), London;
With Scott & Fowles, New York, by whom sold to
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Fields Price, Knollwood Farms, Rye, New York;
Anonymous sale, New York, Parke-Bernet, October 24, 1946, lot 36 for $600;
Mary Lyle Price, New York;
By whose Executors sold, New York, Parke-Bernet, January 22, 1969, lot 49, for $1,200 to John K. Price;
Thence by descent to the present collectors.

A.J. Finberg, "Two Anonymous Portraits by Cornelis Johnson," in the Walpole Society Annual, 1917-18, vol. VI, pp. 9 - 13., reproduced, plate V;
A.J. Finberg, "A Chronological List of Portraits by Cornelis Johnson, or Jonson," in The Walpole Society Annual, vol. X, 1922, p. 33 (as painted 'about 1640' and as unseen by the author).

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 painting is in very decent condition. The canvas has been lined and the paint layer has been cleaned fairly recently. The scruffy beard on the cheek is slightly thin, as is the collar, but the background and the bulk of the face, hair and shirt seem to be in respectable condition. There is some thinness in the dark costume of the figure but very little restoration has been added. There is a spot in the highlight on the forehead and in the cheek below that eye and a few other isolated dots. Overall however this picture is in quite reasonable condition, and if the varnish were to be freshened, it could be hung as is.
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.

The identification of the sitter as Philip Herbert was suggested by Alexander J. Finberg (see Literature) based upon the similarities between the features of the sitter in the present portrait and those of Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, as he is depicted by Simon de Passe in his engraving of circa 1617.  Indeed, the sitter in the present portrait has the same long, thin nose and slightly drooping eyelids with which the Earl of Pembroke is portrayed in that and other portraits of him, such as van Dyck's Philip Herbert, Earl of Montgomery and 4th Earl of Pembroke, now in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, no. 457/4.  However, despite the similar physiognomies, the fact that the sitter here is not wearing the Order of the Garter which the 4th Earl of Pembroke was given in 1608 and that he is dressed rather somberly as compared with his attire in Van Dyck's depictions of him, leaves open the possibility that this portrait depicts another man.  (Although Finberg, who had not seen the present portrait and was therefore not aware that it was signed and dated 1632, dating the portrait instead to circa 1640, explains the exclusion of the Order of the Garter as an 'indication of Pembroke's break with the Court and his siding with the Puritans' after 1641.)