Anthonie de Lorme, Anthonie Palamedesz.

K.G. Rumantsova, Russia;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 24 April 1998, lot 74;
With Otto Naumann, New York, 1999.

B. Maillet, Intérieurs d'églises: la peinture architecturale des écoles du nord: 1580-1720, Wijnegem 2012, p. 273, cat. no. M-0573, reproduced.

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 panel is made from four pieces of oak joined horizontally. There have been no reinforcements to the reverse. The panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. A section of one of the original joins has become slightly visible over time in the lower left, and this extends slightly into the figure group on the stairs in this area. The painting has not been recently cleaned. When viewed under ultraviolet light, one can see small and accurate retouches here and there, more often in the architecture than in the figure group, which seems to be in lovely condition. The retouches in the architecture are mostly in the darkest colors. These are certainly the least one can expect in a work of this scale from this period.
"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."

Anthonie de Lorme specialized in interior views of churches, a preoccupation that lasted throughout his lifetime.  The works from the early part of his career were characterized by realistic depictions of imagined views. However, at times he would add architectural elements to these imagined views that were borrowed from actual buildings.  Around 1650 de Lorme began producing more accurate depictions of churches, such as The Laurenskerk in Rotterdam at night (Warsaw, National Museum). This slight deviation in subject was perhaps a result of the growing influence of Delft painters such as Hendrick van Vliet, as well as that of Pieter Saenredam and his highly accurate and soaring church interiors.

This picture would appear to be a late work by Palamedesz, as it includes elements taken from actual churches, notably the pulpit from Rotterdam's Laurenskerk, while also hearkening back to his early imaginary and fantastical style. In this sense the painting can be compared to a painting dated 1652 in the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes which incorporates the Laurenskerk pulpit into an otherwise imaginary nocturnal church interior with similarly composed staffage (see W. Liedtke, Architectural Painting in Delft, Doornspijk 1982, reproduced, plate 110). 

The figures here were executed by Delft artist Anthonie Palamedesz., who gained notoriety for his small scale genre scenes depicting guardsmen and soldiers at rest in tavern interiors. In addition to his independent works, Palamedesz assisted de Lorme, as well as Dirck van Delen, on larger interior scenes.