School of Tyrol, circa 1500

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 work on oak with a period oak frame attached has not been recently cleaned, if ever. It is certainly extremely dirty. The dirt layer is very thick; there probably lies a healthy and well articulated paint layer beneath this dirt. There is probably an original, but thin, gilding applied not only to the frame but to the background above the figures and in the halos as well. This kind of dirt is very often associated with smoke and is slightly acidic, but careful cleaning should be fruitful. Small losses are evident on the edge of the left thigh of Christ and in his robe above the scepter. But otherwise, apart from a few specks here and there, there seem to be no damages.
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