Provenance: Private Collection, East Riding of Yorkshire 

The painting has an old lining, which is painted red at the reverse with black drips/staining. On an old stretcher with keys missing, and the stretcher bar inscribed 'Sir Godfery Kneller 1760'. Fair tension, but loss of impasto associated with the lining.

The canvas is distorted and slightly lumpy in the top corners (see images).

There is a fine brittle age craquelure throughout, slightly elevated and cupped in places but mostly secure at present.

It is difficult to see quite what is going on in the darker passages of the painting due to the opaque old varnish and cracking. However, there is likely several old campaigns of restoration across the painting with some reddish retouching and thick opaque brown restoration visible in strong torchlight. There are scattered old filled losses at the corners, centre top edge, in the top of the palm where the fillings are slightly lumpy and lifting. There has been some history of flaking, now overpainted, leaving the surface with an uneven appearance. Notably this can be seen in the dark cloak over the Saint's shoulder (see images in raking and reflected light). There are small scattered newer losses including in the top left quadrant. There are larger filled and retouched damages including an L-shaped filling and retouching possibly to an old tear through the white drapery of the Saint's left sleeve. There is a long line of old losses and associated restoration running ten centimeters in from the right edge, extending through the hair and shoulder of the boy to the bottom edge with discoloured overpaint. Not all the losses have been filled. Further larger losses/patches of overpaint include those to the upper lip of the boy, the hand of the Saint holding the palm.

There have been successive campaigns of restoration, some partially removed, for example the opaque green leaves that extend over the lower hand of the Saint.

Much of the paint surface of the flesh tones and red drapery has a pockmarked/pitted appearance with paint from paint flaking. This is usually associated with heat or chemical burning. Some of the larger losses have been overpainted (see images). There are futher passages of overpaint throughout, including to the hair, the black necklace, and the hand.

There is a thick old yellowed varnish, partially removed in the face. Old ingrained dirt. Splashes and wipe marks across the surface and white powdery residue, thick surface dirt.

Examined in frame.

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