An old lining with old stretcher, with two keys missing but fair tension.

There is a brittle age craquelure throughout, which has likely been elevated and flaking in the past but put down during the lining/previous restoration. Small old flaked losses throughout, with the smaller ones unfilled and unretouched. Larger ones retouched. All appear currently stable with no major active flaking. The picture has a slightly lumpy, uneven surface particularly to the left and top edge. Numerous large and small filled and retouched looses, with the larger ones including a 3 inch loss running vertically through Moses' staff and centre top. There are likely several campaigns of restoration; with larger passages of overpainting very aparent in the sky to abraded paint layers, and a large patch of overpaint in the tree top right. Larger patches losses down the right side and a band over overpaint along the whole of the bottom edge of the picture. Much of the restoration is now discoloured.

The painting has a curious mottled appearance throughout the passages that contain white. When examined closely, the raised impasto and edges of old cracking are whiter, with the 'cup' of paint in between the cracks has a darker layer. Possibly caused in the lining process? (see images). This is not apparent in the darker passages of the painting. There has been fairly extensive abrasion to the paint layers throughout.

There is a slighly cloudy, obscuring varnish layer, and remnants of older yellow varnish and dirt ingrained in trough of paint and left on in the darker passages as well as fragments of old paper at the edges. A thick layer of surface dirt and scattered surface scuff and scratches mostly at the bottom.

Not examined in UV, examined in frame.

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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.

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