English School, 1589

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: The panel is slightly bowed and has wooden butterfly supports along the vertical join or split on the left of the panel as viewed from the reverse. The paint surface has an uneven varnish layer with scratches and localised areas of lifting paint. There are areas of paint loss that mostly correspond to the split or join mentioned above. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a discoloured varnish layer and retouchings running down the right vertical split or join and scattered spots on the sitter's hands, face and background. Overall the painting is in fair condition. The work is framed.
"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 the sitter here is unidentified, this portrait is remarkable in its portrayal of a figure at this time wearing a symbol of overt Catholicism – a sardonyx cameo representing the Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John – a clue which may yet lead to the discovery of a name, most probably that of a Recusant family. In 1571, parliament outlawed all 'Crosses Pyctures Beades or such lyke vayne and superstitious Thynges from the Bysshop or Sea of Rome', so to display loyalty to the old faith in a portrait like this was to risk incurring the 'Dangers Penalties Paines and Forfeitures' threatened by the Statutes of the Realm.¹ Not only is the depiction of such a pendant notable at this period, the devotional cameo itself is highly significant as one of the rarest of 16th-century gem engravings, which were more habitually inspired by classical history and mythology. One of the very few surviving examples originally formed part of the binding of a prayer book,² but the chased gold scrolled and strapwork setting seen in this portrait shows how such a gem could be worn as a necklace.

We are grateful to Diana Scarisbrick for her help in the cataloguing of this lot.

1. A. Lauders et al. (eds), The Statutes of the Realm, vol. IV, London 1810–28, pp. 528–31.
2. Now in the Schatzkammer, Munich. See Y. Hackenbroch, 'Jewellery at the Court of Albrecht V', in The Connoisseur, vol. 165, no. 664, June 1967, p. 76, reproduced p.77, fig. 7.