Lot 118: JOSEPH HEINTZ THE ELDER | Dancing couple with a viola da gamba

oil on canvas

105 by 80.5 cm.; 41 3/8  by 31 5/8  in.

oil on canvas

The canvas has been relined and as a result the paint surface has been flattened. The overall paint surface is clean. The paint has thinned in parts of the background and violin in the lower left corner. Retouching can been seen along parts of the edges probably due to frame abrasion and re-stretching. Various scattered retouching can be found throughout the flesh tones and the white sleeve of the female figure as well as the lower part of the red dress. The outline of the violin has strengthened. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals an uneven varnish and confirms the above mentioned retouchings. The work is offered in a gilt moulded frame with a few minor knocks and losses.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Poughkeepsie (New York), Vassar College, Taylor Hall, Exhibition of old masters of the XVII and XVIII centuries, 6 April – 1 May 1938 (as Gentileschi);
Oberlin (Ohio), Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Cornerstones for a college art collection, 22 May – 15 June 1939, no. 38 (as Gentileschi);
Portland (Oregon), Portland Art Museum, Old master paintings, July – September, 1940 (as by Gentileschi);
San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Exhibition of Italian Baroque Painting, 17th and 18th centuries, 16 May – 15 June 1941, no. 41 (as Gentileschi);
New York, Schaeffer Galleries, Gems of Baroque Painting, 27 January – 28 February 1942 (as Gentileschi); 
Pittsfield (Mass.), Berkshire Museum, Music in Art, 11 August – 6 September 1942 (as Gentileschi).

R. Ward Bissell, Artemisia Gentileschi and the Authority of Art, Pennsylvania State University Press 1999, p. 405, note 46 (as Grammatica).

 

Baron Grundherr, Vienna (as Artemisia Gentileschi); 
With Schaeffer Galleries, New York, by 6 November 1941 (as Gentileschi);
With Hammer Galleries, New York (as Gentileschi);
With Gimbel Brothers, New York (as Gentileschi);
Private Collection, Washington, D.C., circa 1950;
Anonymous sale, Philadelphia, Freeman's, 29 January 2015, lot 99 (as attributed to Antiveduto Grammatica).