Head of a bearded man with a glass of wine

The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.

The painting is executed on paper which was laid down to panel, evidently early in its history. The panel is uncradled, displays beveling along all four sides of the reverse and has a slight convex bow running from left to right. There is a loss at the extreme lower right corner, which has been retained and can be reconsolidated onto the support. The varnish is generally clear. The hand and beer glass appear to be later additions. There is an approximately 5 inch vertical crease in the paper extending from the top edge into the side of the man’s head and another approximately 2 inch vertical crease extending from the right edge to the tip of his nose. Inspection under ultraviolet light suggests a campaign of restoration to the left background as well as restoration to address frame abrasion along the right and lower edges. A further vertical line of retouching measuring approximately 2 x ¼ inch extends from the middle of the bottom edge into the man’s chest, as do several small passages in the man’s hand. His face appears to be in a good state of preservation with comparatively few areas of restoration. The painting would benefit if the loss at lower right were restored and the hand removed to bring the painting back to the artist’s original conception of the work.