P*** V*** Kerck active in Antwerp 1643

Juan Antonio Cortés de Zuevedo, 1872 (according to an inscription on the reverse).

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel is in good condition with a stable central joint. Under ultraviolet light can be seen a scattering of restorations covering minor paint losses and abrasion of the naturally thin paint layer. Some of the restoration is excessive, however. The colours appear strong and saturate well and the paint texture is well preserved. There would be no tonal benefit from removing the varnish. Offered in a plain moulded gilt wood frame with some damages."
"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."

The panel maker's mark A is so far unidentified but is discussed at length by Jorgen Wadum (in "Looking through Paintings. Antwerp Brand on Paintings on Panel", in Leids Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek, vol XI, 1998, pp. 179ff.) and is used, for example, on a panel by Pieter Brueghel the Younger . However, Wadum states (p. 192) that the letter A occurs only on panels dated between 1619-22 except for one instance where a tentative dating was set to 1632. If Wadum's hypothesis is true, the panel used for the present painting must have stayed in the painter's studio for a significant period of time before being used.