Emanuel de Witte

Nieuwenhuys;
Lord Penrhyn, Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, Wales;
By inheritance to Lady Janet Douglas-Pennant (1923-1997), Penrhyn Castle.

I. Manke, Emanuel de Witte, Amsterdam 1963, p. 91, cat. no. 60.

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 has been recently and well restored. The canvas has an older early 20th century lining and the paint layer is in very good state. The only restorations visible under ultraviolet light and it appears the only restorations to the painting, are in the black pigments in the hats and cloaks of some of the figures in the lower portion of the picture and in a few losses in the sun-lit portion of the cathedral floor. The condition of the remainder of the painting is very fresh and lively, particularly given the fact that this is a work on canvas.
"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."

De Witte arrived in Amsterdam around 1652, after a decade in Delft where he had joined the Guild of St. Luke in 1642.  One of his favorite subjects was the interior of the Oude Kerk which he painted from many different vantage points.  What set De Witte apart from other contemporary painters of architectural interiors was his evocative use of light and shadow which was more important to him than absolute fidelity to the depiction of the architecture.  His church interiors are usually enlivened with charming anecdotal details.  Here a sermon is in progress while elegantly clad worshipers mill about, some with their dogs, and a young woman rests against the base of a column nursing her child.

We are grateful to Dr. Walter A. Liedtke for confirming this painting to be by De Witte, based on firsthand inspection.  He dates it to the artist's mature period, circa 1665.