Sir Anthony Van Dyck and Studio

Sir Thomas Sebright, Bt., Beechwood Park, Dunstable, by 1857, thence by descent to
Sir Giles Sebright, Bt.
By whom sold, London, Christie's, July 2, 1937, lot 137 (as "Sir A. van Dyck");
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, March 23, 1956, lot 106, to Wells;
Lillian Rojtman Berkman;
By whose estate sold, New York, Sotheby's, January 28, 2005, lot 541.

Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain, vol. IV, London 1857, p. 327;
S. J. Barnes et al, Van Dyck, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven 2004, p. 166, under cat. no. II 20 (as a copy of the Hermitage painting).

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 visibly very dirty and has not been cleaned for a number of years. The canvas has an old lining, which is still nicely supporting the canvas and paint layer. Originally Van Dyck painted on a piece of canvas joined vertically through the left hand of St. Thomas and through the hand of one of the other figures in the center right. This join is slightly visible but very little if any paint loss has occurred along the join. The edges seem to be quite healthy. There appear to be no other tears or structural issues to the painting, and it seems to have remained healthy throughout its lifetime. Through close examination of the faces of the figures, the hands and the drapery, it is evident that the condition of the paint itself is beautiful and one may anticipate an extremely lively and varied palette to become apparent when the picture is cleaned. Retouches will most likely be required along the original canvas join and in a few spots along the edges. Other than this, restorations will be expected here and there in the background, but it is hard to positively identify any damages except for a couple of small chips in the main figure in the right shoulder and possibly a spot or two in the other figures. Overall this picture is in very good condition and will be extremely impressive once cleaned.
"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 present work repeats the composition, with slight differences, of a work by van Dyck in The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.  Since the publication of the van Dyck Catalogue of Paintings (see Literature below), Susan J. Barnes has studied the present painting firsthand and believes it to be by van Dyck with studio assistance.

The painting is in an impressive carved and gilt frame by Fratelli Pacetti, Florence (a label is affixed to the reverse).  The Pacetti were famous framemakers and specialized in elaborately carved and gilt frames such as the present example, which derives its decoration from the Baptistry doors of Florence.  Their clients included some of the most important collectors of the day, including Anatole Demidoff (Ary Scheffer, Portrait of Princess Mathilde, Palazzo Pitti, Florence).