ADOLPHE ALEXANDRE LESREL | Contemplation

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, July 20, 1990, lot 366, illustrated (as A Lady of Rank at Prayer)
Schiller and Bodo, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2003

Oil on canvas, lined. Minor undulation to the canvas, mainly at the upper corners. The picture surface is in generally good condition aside from a stable, extremely fine web of craquelure over the picture surface. A very minor area of gold paint visible along the center left edge. Under UV light, the work is covered by a varnish that fluoresces green. There is a small dot of retouching in the pink under-layer of the main figure's gown. A few additional minor lines of older retouching in the red robes of the male figure in the tapestry at right. This work presents very well and is ready to hang in its current state.
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.

The tapestry in the background of the present lot is based on a fifteenth-century Flemish example depicting the liberation of St. Peter, which was commissioned for the Beauvais Cathedral and is now in the Cluny Museum, Paris.