Hispano-Flemish School, 15th Century

Willard Bayer Golovin (d. 2001), New York;
By whose Estate sold, Hudson, Stair, 16 September 2006, lot 327.

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 painting is in good condition overall and structurally sound. A significantly discolored aged varnish coats the surface, giving the painting its decidedly amber tonality. The paint appears to be generally free of abrasion but with a handful of scattered small old losses, restored. Under ultraviolet illumination the varnish fluoresces strongly, preventing confirmation of the presence of retouching by UV. A small spot of recent restoration atop the varnish is visible in the wrist of the hand supporting the book, and a few tiny dots are located in the saint's wimple. Retouching appears to exist beneath the varnish to address small losses in the clothing— in the arm on the right, just beneath the book, and in the skirt bottom right. The red lake paint used for the book displays wear along the craquelure. Blind tenting following the vertical wood grain is visible in the lower half of the painting in the saint's white robe and in the background to the right. The wood panel support is a single board. The integrated frame is partially carved from the support but is further built up with small pieces of wood attached to the front of the panel. Cleaning to remove the yellowed varnish will markedly brighten the picture and while some retouching would be required to address old losses, a need for extensive restoration is not anticipated. Regardless of any decision whether or not to clean the picture, the lifting paint should be set down to prevent losses from occurring.
"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."