Technical Notes
The painting’s primary support is a plain-weave canvas. The ground is white and was applied in a moderately thin layer that does not hide the texture of the canvas. Past damage to the original fabric support includes tears and punctures.

In general, the painting was executed with broad applications of opaque and semiopaque paint with little to no impasto, except in the thick dabs of paint used for highlights on the lace, buttons, and vest. Outlines of the forms seem to have been first done with a brush. Changes were made to the position of the hat, the man’s feet, and the dogs; these are now visible as pentimenti. Other pentimenti are found along the edge of the red coat on the left side near the man’s waist, on the bottom edge of the man’s extended arm, and at the bottom edge of the coattails. A pentimento of large open strokes is also visible through the hindquarters of the dog on the left, which was apparently added after the bush had been painted.

Overlaps in paint suggest that the coat was done before the gun, which in turn was painted before the hand. The dogs appear to have been added on top of the painted foreground. The background was painted wet-in-wet with loose broad brushstrokes.

The paint layers have been infused overall with a wax-resin adhesive in order to consolidate extensive flaking throughout. There are numerous small scattered losses as well as general abrasion. The limited impasto has been somewhat flattened, and there are signs of solvent damage.

The painting was most recently treated in 1980, when a glue lining was removed and replaced with a wax-resin lining, applied onto linen. Also during this treatment, the painting was varnished with spray coats of Acryloid B-72. At present, the surface appears matte and uneven.

Frame Notes
The frame consists of a carved softwood molding that is gilded over a yellow bole. The corners are mitered and have cross-spline construction on the back. There is a small cove on the site edge; next to this is an applied strip of carved, ribbed half-round ornament. The molding has a central flat, then a larger cove that rises to an applied thin strip of smaller ribbed half-round. This is followed by another cove and, finally, by the top edge, which has shallow carved foliate design. There is a strip of lamb’s-tongue ornament on the back edge.