Attributed to John Riley (1646-1691) Portrait of a gentleman in a long brown wig, gold cloak and lace-trimmed shirt, standing, three-quarter length, his arm resting on a marble ledge Oil on canvas 126 x 102cm, unframed Provenance: Private collection, London. It is thought that the sitter is possibly Samuel Pepys. Condition report: Oil on canvas which has been lined. The canvas has good tension and the picture is in plane. Overall the paint layer is in a stable condition. There is some wear and abrasion in thin paint passages and around the sitter's features. There are a few scattered old losses which have slightly uneven fills. There is a large area of retouching on the top of the sitter's wig and in the lower left corner. There are other small, scattered retouchings across the surface which are all well matched to the original. The painting has been carefully cleaned and old residues of varnish remain in some of the darker paint passages. The old degraded varnish causes a slightly mottled effect to the surface. The upper paint layer is even, semi-matte and slightly yellowed but acceptable.