Jan de Bray

Private collection, United States;
With Jack Kilgore & Co., New York and London, by 2002;
Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 13 November 2007, lot 58, for €78,250, where acquired by the present owner.

The panel is uncradled, flat and stable. The paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish is only slightly discoloured and quite uneven. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a campaign of restoration throughout the sitter's robes. There is some sensitively-executed strengthening in the hair around the sitter's face, which itself remains untouched. There are tiny retouchings in the open book, and retouching to a vertical split running up from the lower margin in the sitter's right knee, not extending beyond the table, measuring approx. 10 cm. The drape in the background fluoresces totally black under ultraviolet light. In overall fair condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although unidentified, the presence of the crucifix would suggest that the sitter in this work is a priest. Indeed, the very same crucifix appears on the desk in two other portraits of Catholic priests by De Bray, Portrait of Pieter van der Wiel of 1666, and Portrait of Josephus de Kies van Wissen of 1672, the former now in the Castle at Osnabruck, on loan from the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin, and the latter in the Museum in Emden, likewise on loan from the Kaiser Friedrich Museum.¹ The similarities continue to the clothing, with all three sitters wearing near-identical vestments.

At the time of the 2007 sale the attribution of this portrait to Jan de Bray had been endorsed by both Dr R. E. O. Ekkart and Fred G. Meijer of the RKD, The Hague, following first-hand inspection of the painting.

1. See J. W. von Moltke, 'Jan de Braij', in Marburger Jahrbuch fur Kunstwissenschaft, vol. 11/12, 1938/1939, cat. nos 69, 70, reproduced figs 10 and 14 respectively.