Aggeus Johannes Castlanis

In the collection of the owner's great-grandfather, Germany, by the 1920s;
Thence by descent.

The panel is made up of three, uncradled, horizontal planks, which are flat and stable, but have been glued together in the past. There are small visible, discoloured retouchings throughout the painting: along each panel join, scattered in the background, and in the child's face and dress. These appear old and mostly superficial, and the majority of the paint surface actually appears to be very well-preserved, such as the impasto paintwork in the lace, the belt and the flower. There is some wear in the flesh tones and white apron, however. Inspection under ultraviolet light does not reveal anything in addition to what is visible to the naked eye.
"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."

Castlanis (or Castellanus) was an artist from the remote Province of Friesland, in the north-east Netherlands, by whom very few works are known. A pair of signed, three-quarter-length portraits of Leeuwarden-born husband and wife Dirk von Fogelsangh and Ibeltje Wringer, of 1623, are in the Fries Museum, Leeuwarden,¹ which houses the most complete collection of Frisian painting. Although almost all genres of painting were covered by painters from the area, such as the idiosyncratic still-lifes of Margarethe de Heer and the fantastic landscapes of Mancadan, most Frisian artists were portraitists, their work characterized by a 'bold primitiveness' which echoes contemporary British Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits.² Castlanis was most probably part of the group of portraitists in Friesland which also included the likes of Adriaen van der Linde, Pieter Feddes Harlingensis and Jan de Salle.

1. See A. Wassenbergh, De portretkunst in Friesland in de zeventiende eeuw, Lochem 1967, p. 24, reproduced p. 93, figs 47 and 48.
2. C. Wright, Images of a Golden Age. Dutch Seventeenth-Century Paintings, exh. cat., Birmingham 1989, p. 76.