Seascape with ships and a burning city, Follower of Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Property from a Private Collection
Follower of Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Seascape with ships and a burning city

oil on panel
panel: 9½ by 13½ in.; 24.1 by 34.3 cm.
framed: 17 by 20½ in.; 43.2 by 51.3 cm.

Condition Report:
The following condition report has been provided by Kirsten Younger of Kirsten Younger Paintings Restoration, 212-288-4370, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.

The painting is in good condition overall. The panel is backed with a secondary panel support and the edges are covered with wood veneer. The panel is cradled and it is flat and is in stable condition. The original panel is made of two pieces of wood with horizontal grain direction. The join is just above the distant horizon and has tiny areas thinness and retouching along it. Just below the join there is a fine crack that extends in from the left through the rock to the shore with retouching along it and at the right a short fine crack with a small restored fill extends through the seated figures.

The landscape with many areas of fine detail is in good condition overall. The varnish fluoresces slightly in UV light in general with isolated thicker patches of varnish that fluoresce opaque. On the left some of this thick varnish lies over a group of restored fills. The largest of these extends in from the left side edge through the bottom of the large rock and the right side of it is visible as a light area. A smaller fill extends through this tall rock higher up just below the white highlights. Uneven patches of opaque varnish can also be seen extending over the large boats and surrounding water and the rocks near the red flag. Many details of the boats, masts and riggings appear to be in good condition. There is thinness in the sails of the large boat at the left and the one further off in the center with some retouching and there are retouched areas on the rocks at the left. In the lower right there are patches of opaque varnish in the corner, along the edge and and below the pointed top of the dark rocks where there are areas of thinness. There are various small gesso fills along the edges, near the light highlight in the orange area of the sky at the upper left and numerous small scattered retouches. There are many areas where the paint is transparent and some details such as the trees on top of the rock at the left and a few areas in the sky are thin. Many of the tiny figures, the landscape details and the boats in the distance are in good condition overall and the appearance of dramatic light in the scene is retained.