Circle of Paolo Veneziano

The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 336 West 37th Street, Suite 830, New York, NY 10018, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This picture is in excellent condition where intact, although coated with extremely discolored varnish and dirt. The horizontally-grained wood support had at some point in the past split into two pieces and was been repaired, as evidenced by the horizontal crack visible on the front and back as well as the glue residue on the reverse. Losses to the gilding and ground, revealing the wood support, are found above the head, to the right of the raised hand, and around Gabriel's wing on the bottom left. Much of the paint layers appears to be in good condition — the face, hair and wings in particular look well preserved beneath the dirt and varnish — with extensive visible losses of the upper layers of paint in the red robe. Toning may have been applied across the robe to address the losses. Given the amount of disfiguring aged varnish, careful cleaning could significantly improve with appearance of the picture.
"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 charming panel would once have formed part of a larger complex.  The angel of the Annunciation is a pinnacle which would have been placed atop one of the left-hand panels of a polyptych.  The corresponding panel on the right side would have been surmounted by a similar pinnacle depicting the Virgin receiving the annunciation.