Jean Daret, Flemish 1614-1668- The Birth of the Virgin, 1639; oil on canvas, signed and dated, 74.7x68.8cm Provenance: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 10 June 2005, lot 8; Bonhams, London, 24th October 2012, lot 106 Note: Known for his versatility in subject matter, Jean Daret was a highly sought after artist for his religious depictions. Apprenticed under Anton Van Opstal in Brussels from 1625 he would go on to travel to Italy and France decorating multiple churches and convents throughout his life, as well as private chapels and homes of the nobility. Held in a contemporary gilded moulding frame, late 20th century. The wooden stretcher is a modern replacement. The canvas has been re-lined in recent years. Some staining on the reverse. The paint surface has been subject to old cleaning and recent re-varnishing. Some of the detail has been thinned through cleaning in some places. Some layers of older varnish remain on the paint surface, though overall subject to thinning from cleaning. Under inspection with UV lamp there is evidence of retouching in the following places: Around the lower left corner, under the drapery and seat, in the drapery of all figures in the folds and shadows, in a sizeable area beneath the chin of Saint Anne and in her costume, arm and around the bottom of her dress, , in the hair and beneath the chin, in the costume and below the arm of the female figure opposite in red brown drapery, in the cloth held by the small female figure in the background left, and elsewhere. Overall in good fully restored condition.