25th Jun, 2024 10:00
Old Master, British and European Art
1
Attributed to George Gower (c.1540-1596)
Portrait of a lady, said to be Lady Arabella Stuart, daughter of Charles, 5th Earl of Lennox, half-length, in a richly embroidered and bejewelled dress with a white lace ruff
oil on canvas
64 x 53cm, in an Italian carved giltwood frame
Provenance: The Savile family, Rufford Abbey, Nottingham, their sale, Christie's, 18 November 1938, lot 153 (as by Zuccaro);
Sotheby's, London, 'British Paintings, 1500-1850', 8 November 1995, lot 20.
Exhibited: National Exhibition of Works of Art, Leeds, 1868.
Sold for £36,000
Condition Report
Overall: 92 x 80cm
The painting is executed in oil on a linen canvas support which has been lined. The canvas is in plane and the tension is good. There are some minor areas of old damage which are visible in the surface texture of the background, mainly at the upper edge but there are no large areas of loss.
The paint layer has slightly softened during the lining process, some areas of textured paint in the pattern of the dress have been affected. In the thin paint passages of the sitter's face and hair there is some wear and abrasion caused by a combination of age and possibly a previous cleaning campaign. The canvas weave is evident on the texture of these areas and show up as regular dark spots. The sitter's hair appears to be reinforced through overpaint. Under ultraviolet light, areas of retouching are present across the painting, but the overpaint is finely handled in small strokes, mainly covering wear and abrasion rather than reconstructing large losses. In the background the overpaint is slightly glossy compared to the surrounding, original paint layers, but overall the retouching is well matched to the original. The varnish is clear, even and semi-matte.
The painting is in a good condition overall, it has suffered some wear and minor damage typical of a work of its age. It appears to have been recently restored; the overpaint is well matched and the overall appearance of the portrait is good.
IN PERSON
To bid in person at auction for the first time please register for a bidding paddle in advance by filling out and submitting a registration form at our front desk. When registering in person we require photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.
ABSENTEE BIDDING
If you cannot attend the auction in person we can bid on your behalf. You can leave an absentee bid on our website.
The amount you bid should be your maximum bid. We will bid up to that limit for you, and remember you may end up paying less than your limit, depending on other bidding on the day.
You can leave an absentee bid up to half an hour before the start of any sale. Please note when we receive two or more absentee bids for the same amount, the first bid received will be the one taken.
LEAVE COMMISSION BIDS ONLINE
If you would like to leave a commission bid on our website you can do so up until 30 minutes before the sale starts. Leaving a commission bid through sworder.co.uk is free for all registered clients. Thereafter you may register bank card details under your account in order to bid live. Click here to register an account.
BID LIVE ON sworder.co.uk
You can bid live at our auctions from the comfort of your home or office using bidding platform Sworders Live. It is easy to register and you can watch the auction live as it happens. A 'Bid Live' button will appear on the auction on our website homepage when a sale is live; simply click the button to sign in or register with your card details. There is no additional charge for this service.
For further instructions on registering to bid live, please click here.
TELEPHONE BIDDING
If you would like to bid by telephone please contact our team prior to the auction with your details of the lots you are interested in and your full name, address, telephone number(s) and email address. Once our team have entered your bid request you will receive an email confirmation. We will contact you during the sale and one of our team will bid live with you over the phone.
Please note that we normally offer this service for lots with an estimate of £500 or higher and all telephone bid requests must be received by close of business the day before the auction.
Auction: Old Master, British and European Art, 25th Jun, 2024
Viewing
London Viewing | Highlights
A selection of lots will be on view Thursday 6 - Thursday 13 June at our London Gallery, 15 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ, as follows:
Monday-Friday, 11.30am - 5.30pm
For more information, please contact 0203 971 2500 | london@sworder.co.uk
Stansted Viewing | Auction
Viewing will be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE, as follows:
Friday 21 June, 10am - 4pm
Sunday 23 June, 10am - 1pm
Monday 24 June, 10am - 4pm
The auction will take place at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE.
Please select the shipping destination;
Buying a pre-loved, antique, or vintage item not only provides you with unique style and value for money but it also helps to reduce landfill, and the annual emissions of an antique or vintage piece can be as little as one sixteenth of those of its new equivalent!
Sworders is proud to be supporting the work of Antiques are Green - the movement that was founded in 2009 to promote “a greener future created from the past”. Read their fascinating carbon footprint study of a Georgian chest of drawers versus a modern equivalent here
Request A Valuation
Here at Sworders, we are happy to offer a free online valuation service. Please fill out the form and press the 'Submit' button below.
To help us with your valuation please attach clear photographs of the item where possible. You can submit up to 5.
Approximate dimensions are also useful. Expect to hear from the appropriate valuer as soon as possible.
