Venetian School, Late 16th or Early 17th Century

Lunsford Long, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;
Ellen H. Wolfner, New York;
With Dr. Siegfried Aram, New York;
By whom given to the family of the present owners, circa 1975.

Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art; Montgomery, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Veronese and His Studio, 1 October-31 December 1972 (as by Veronese);
Jersey City, Saint Peter's College Art Gallery, The Portait Through the Ages, 11 April 1985-2 May 1985 (as by Veronese).

W. Suida, "Chiarimenti ed Aggiunte all'Opera di Paolo Veronese", in Arte Veneta, 1961, vol. 15, p. 103, reproduced (as by Veronese); 
G. Piovini, L'opera completa del Veronese, Milan 1968, p.132, cat. no. 320 (under "Altre opere attribuite al Veronese").

The canvas support is relined and stable. The paint surface is secure under a slightly uneven varnish and in very good condition with a small repaired tear running approximately three inches from the upper edge but no further obvious damage visible to the naked eye. Inspection under UV reveals minor retouched losses localised to the face and chest with otherwise very little apparent intervention. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame.
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.

Though clearly inspired by Venetian prototypes, this charming portrait of an elegantly dressed girl accompanied by her dog seems to have been executed by an as yet unidentified artist working slightly later than those in Veronese's immediate circle. When exhibited in the 1972 show Veronese and His Studio in Studio, it was given to Veronese, but such an attribution was almost immediatley questioned in subsequent literature (Piovini, op. cit). Interestingly, another work in that exhibition, also a Portrait of a Lady with a Dog, and again erroneously given to Veronese or his circle (Birmingham, op. cit., p. 40, where lent by Michael Freeman, Detroit), appears to be by the same hand as the present canvas.