Lot 154. 18TH CENTURY ITALIAN SCHOOL “Maria Clementina Sobieska” portrait study, half length, oil on canvas, unsigned,80 cm x 65 cm (Princess Maria Sobieska,1702-1735, was the grand-daughter of the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, and the wife of James Francis Edward Stewart, the Jacobean Pretender to the British throne, and mother of Charles Edward Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and Henry Benedict Stewart, before dying aged 32 on 18th January 1735, and buried in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome)

CONDITION REPORTS
Canvas has been relined. Painting has various repairs and some areas of repainting, including horizontal and vertical splits in central section of picture. Paintwork has quite extensive craquelure. Various areas of scuffing and flaking / missing paint including to her face. A large darker painted area to the left of her hair and neck. There is a grid-like / ridged effect to her face where the paint is worn away – possible the weave of the canvas showing through. Under UV light the repairs and repainting are apparent to the large vertical and horizontal splits to the centre which form two sides of a square, overpainting to the repaired area. There are also various other areas of touch-up paint to bottom centre, to folds to left of dress, and several small specks and small areas throughout, and an area of repair to the centre of her neck. A few small dots of touch up paint to her face, but the worn area to the right on her face where the canvas weave shows through, appears pale under UV light which would suggest that that area is worn rather than repainted. The larger darker area to the background to the left of her hair and neck shows up pale under UV light and appears of a similar pale milky colour to the rest of the background. There are some slightly darker areas throughout possibly where crazing and cracquelure have been stabilized and painting appears to have been revarnished. The frame has various chips, losses, regilding, cracks and some drilled holes.

Estimate 3,000 GBP – 5,000 GBP. Moore Allen & Innocent. 07/08/16

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Tygodnik Ilustrowany,