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John de Critz the Elder: Workshop production in Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century London

A very comprehensive study of the workshop production of John de Critz the Elder was undertaken by Edward Town for his article in the July 2012 issue of The Burlington Magazine. The varying quality of de Critz’s paintings was considered in light of the revelation that portraits continued to be produced by his workshop after the master’s eye sight had ‘fayled him’. And Town’s fascinating article puts forward the likely hypothesis that portraits might be priced according to the master’s input. These arguments are supported by the evidence gained from TSR’s infrared reflectography, which strongly suggests the repeated use of a face pattern for portraits of de Critz’s patron, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury; a method that would have facilitated the quick and efficient production of multiple portraits.

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