Lot 47
- 47
Gerard ter Borch
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description
- Gerard Ter Borch
- Portrait of a gentleman;Portrait of a lady
- a pair, both oil on panel
- The first: 15 7/8 x 11 1/8 inches
- The second: 15 7/8 x 11 1/2 inches
Provenance
Bequeathed by Margaret Weyerhaeuser Harmon to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (acc. nos. L88.248.1 and L88.248.2).
Condition
Both panels are marouflaged and cradled on the reverse. The paint surface of each has suffered wear due to previous cleaning campaigns but both retain detail and still present beautiful and delicate images.
Portrait of a Gentleman:
There are two fine, vertical cracks, one running through the center of the panel and another 1 in. from the left hand edge.
Inspection under UV reveals very fine retouching attending to the cracks through the hand at left and the sitter's face and possible older retouching in the left hand sleeve and the fold of the coat.
Portrait of a lady:
There is a fine vertical crack in the surface running the length of the panel at right and further fine cracks to the paint surface, particularly concentrated through the lower section.
Inspection under UV reveals minor retouched losses to the face, hands and fan and possible old restorations to the dress, though a reading is impeded by a rather patchy varnish.
Both offered in elaborate carved gilt wood frames.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The gentleman and lady are arranged here in an atypical manner for Dutch seventeenth century formal portraits. Traditionally the man is at the left, while the lady looks inward from the right, though in the present pair their places are switched. In their handling and execution however, the portraits are in fact quite typical of Ter Borch's work from circa 1650. As in many of his small scale portraits from this time, Ter Borch keeps the dress and collar of the sitters simple and sets them against a dark background to emphasize their individual character and distinctive physiognomy.
We are grateful to Rudi Ekka𝓡rt of the RKD for supporting the attribution to Ter Borch, based on photographs.