ALBERT BIERSTADT | Forest Near Saratoga

Mr. C. Wasserman, Brooklyn, New York
Dr. Joseph Malone, Brooklyn, New York
Dr. and Mrs. Davis, Brooklyn, New York and Bennington, Vermont (his daughter)
William Vareika Fine Arts, Newport, Rhode Island
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1998

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes, Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is in beautiful condition. It is still stretched on its original stretcher, which incorporates a wooden panel within the stretcher bars. The painting itself is not adhered to this panel. The paint layer is clean and varnished. It reads very opaquely under ultraviolet light due to the varnish, but the work does not appear to be dirty. There is one small patch visible under ultraviolet light in the center fo the right side, which seems to correspond to a cleaning test. There are two small retouches beneath the dark tree trunk on the far right. The work should be hung as is.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

We thank Melissa Webster Speidel, President of the Bierstadt Foundation and Director of the Albert Bierstadt catalogue raisonné project, for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.