Oil on panel

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of 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 painting is on an unreinforced panel. The panel is flat, and the paint layer is stable. With the naked eye, one can see that some test cleans have been made, one in the headdress on the right side, another in the headdress in the upper center, and another in the upper right corner. What exactly these revealed is unknown, but the work is certainly quite dirty, and will presumably clean well. No retouches are visible under ultraviolet light, but with pictures like this, there are very often fine retouches that will be removed if the work is cleaned. One does not expect these pictures to be un-retouched, and while significant retouches are not expected, one should certainly be prepared to engage in a campaign of retouching if and when the picture is cleaned.
"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."

This early sixteenth century panel presents an interesting mix of Netherlandish and Italian elements.  According to a label on the reverse it was once attributed to Raphael, and more recently it was given to Jan Gossaert.  The figure of the Virgin and th✱e broad treatment of her hair and drapery are distinctly Italianate in type and handling.  The Christ Child, however, is more closely related to the robust, curly-headed infants that can be found in the paintings of Joos van Cleve, who himself had close connections to Italian art.  Therefore, while there is no specific prototype for the present picture, it is likely that it is the work of an arꦜtist in the circle of Van Cleve.