British School (Early 20th Century) Portrait of a gentleman, believed...

British School (Early 20th Century) Portrait of a gentleman, believed to be a Governor of Malta Indistinctly signed and dated 1913, oil on canvas, 100cm by 74.5cm

The painting is lined, with one original tacking margin at the right side preserved, the rest removed. Fairly slack tension, but all keys present. The edge of the original tacking margins is just visible at the top edge from the face. The impasto has beens slighly reduced in the lining process. There is a 1 inch ruch at the edge of the original canvas at the top edge, with associated loss of paint, and a six inch flap of the original canvas is overlapping the frame at the bottom edge (see images). There are slightly lumpy passages at the edges of the painting, and a slight distortion top right corner. There is a 1.5 inch dent at the left middle of the painting at the edge of the stretcher. The canvas is not broken, but there has been some minor flaking/loss (see images). There is old finescale brittle age craquelure throughtou, mostly not elevated and secure. However, there is a line of elevated actively flaking paint and associated loss of paint and ground at the lower right edge. Futher scuffs and losses of paint and ground at both edges, and a small amount at the top edge. There are a few tiny, scattered unrestored losses under the current varnish. There are patches of overpaint in the hand holding the glove, which appear slighly lighter than the original paint. There is a patchy, thick residual layer of an old varnish that is visible as more orangy/yellow under strong light. There is a quantity of ingrained varnish and dirt in the troughts of the paint. There are a few scattered very minor surface scuffs, and a lump of material embedded towards the top middle of the picture. There is a slightly uneven surface gloss and a light layer of surface dirt. We are happy to provide Condition Reports to prospective buyers, but would welcome your request as soon as possible, preferably at least 48 hours before the Day of Sale. We cannot guarantee a reply to any requests made within 48 hours of the start of the auction. The absence of a Condition Report from a lot does not mean that the lot is in perfect condition. A Condition Report is an honest expression of our opinion, not a statement of fact and is provided as a service to the seller. All lots are available on public view ahead of an auction and we encourage prospective buyers to inspect an item in person where possible. Our Condition Reports are not prepared by professional conservators, restorers, or engineers, and are prepared with the naked eye unless otherwise stated. Regarding Pictures, Prints and Works on Paper, works are not examined out of the frame, unless specifically stated. Tennants Auctioneers do not cover damage to gilded wood or plaster picture frames, or to picture frame glass whilst the item is in our possession. We accept no liability for the opinions expressed in any Condition Report.