Lord Somers Collection, by 1934;
With Colnaghi Ltd., London (as Bonifazio Veronese);
From whom purchased by Denys Sutton, 11 March 1960;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Birmingham, City Museum and Art Gallery, Jubilee Commemorative Exhibition of Art Treasures of the Midlands, 1934, no. 265 (as Bonifazio de' Pitati).

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 wooden panel faintly shows remnants of a decoratively painted reverse. There are no cradles or reinforcements on the reverse, except those that secure two additions in the lower left and lower right corners. Although these sections in the two corners probably are added, the remainder of the paint layer is original. There are obviously restorations along the two diagonal joins in both corners. There is also restoration on the right side through the arcade. In the dining table, there is another long diagonal crack or scratch that has received restoration. There are restorations along the top edge, and in the sky in the far left where the paint layer appears to have been affected by heat. There are also restorations in the lower center and lower right, where there are circular inserts in the original panel, perhaps to eliminate unevenness to the wood. The work also appears to be quite yellowed and is probably quite dirty. This is a work that should be cleaned. Apart from the above mentioned structural damages, the condition of the paint layer seems to be extremely good.
"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."

The scene here, of a typical garden in the Venetian Terra Firma, recalls those popularized by the Flemish painter Lodewijck Toeput, also called Pozzoserrato, after his removal to Treviso in the early 1580s.  There are similarly structured landscapes in Pozzoserrato’s long canvases in the Cappella dei Rettori, Monte di Pieta, Treviso, depicting Biblical scenes, or in his Outdoor Concert in the Museo Civico, also Treviso.¹  Like the present work, these landscapes display extensive, architectural gardens, painted in perspective and divided into sections with flower beds, streams and floral arched pathways, and with figures strolling, banqueting and playing music. 

This beautiful panel was likely intended to be integrated within a piece of furniture.  The swirling floral pattern still visible on the panel’s reverse suggest it was intended to be viewed from both sides and was perhaps conceived as part of a lettuccio (bedstead) or even a panel from a carriage. Two meticulously painted triangular additions were at one stage appended to the lower corners, perhaps to replace pieces once cut away to fit another furnishing, or to give the panel a more unified rectangular form thus allowing it to hang independently. 

The figures here are less mannered than those executed by Lodovico Pozzoserrato, a Flemish artist working Italy who specialised in such garden scenes, and this unknown hand appears to be more skilled, highlighting their bright drapery with shimmering highlights to imbue the figures with a certain lightness and lyricism of movement.  Peter Humfrey and Bernard Aikema both independently date this painting to between 1560 and 1570, predating Pozzoserrato who came to Italy only in 1573 and moved to the Veneto area in 1582.  The costumes in this painting, with broad, square necked bodices worn over open-collared, white partlets by the ladies, and tall hats worn by the gentlemen, are indeed in keeping with fashions of the 1560s.  This dating would also discount the attribution of Bonifazio Veronese proposed while the painting was with Colnaghi and in the 1934 Birmingham exhibition (see under Exhibited), as the artist died in 1553. 

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema and Peter Humfrey for their assistance in dating this painting on the basis of photographs.

1.  M. Lucca, La Pittura Nel Veneto: Il Cinquecento, vol. II, p. 692, reproduced fig. 762-763🅠 and ✨p. 694, reproduced fig. 766.