Frans Pourbus the Elder

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 has not been recently restored. The varnish is very dull and the painting is probably dirty. The panel has been cradled. The panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. Under ultraviolet light, very few retouches are visible in the lighter colors of the face and ruff and in the lower left in the coat. There are some retouches in the darker colors of the beard and in the background, none of which are significant or unusual. This is a thinly painted work, but further thinness has developed and accurate retouches will be very beneficial.
"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."

This engaging study of a man's head traditionally thought to be by Frans Pourbus the Younger, is in fact the work of his father, Frans Pourbus the Elder and probably dates from late in his career,  circa 1575-1580.  Pourbus was probably first a pupil of his father, Pieter Pourbus, in Bruges, but by 1564 is recorded as working in the studio of Frans Floris in Antwerp.  We see the influence of Floris in the broad, confident brush strokes that describe the face and beard, as well as in the psychological engagement we have with the sitter.

The Portrait of a Man can perhaps best be compared to Pourbus's Portrait of Abraham Grapheus in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (acquisition no. 1957.159).  The size and informality of the present work create a sense of intimacy and suggest that this may be a portrait of someone close to Pourbus.

We are very grateful to Koenraad Jonckheere for his attribution of the present work (on the basis of digital images) and for his assistance in preparing this note.