Attributed to Adriaen van Ostade Haarlem 1610-1685

Gustaf Adolf Sparre (1746-1794);
Sparre inv., 1794, no. 37. 

Göthe, 1895, p. 18, no. 26, as Dutch School, 1600s, in the style of A van Ostade;
Hasselgren, 1974, p. 116, reproduced p. 175. 

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel is evenly chamfered. The top 2cm strip is a later addition. The paint layer is stable and flat. There are areas of the paint surface that are worn, these include the area to the left of the maid, the maid's hat (restored )and the door. The still lives of the turnips and slotted spoon in a terracotta colander and that on the barrel top are sharp and natural. Aside from the woman's hat and the top strip there is almost no retouching to the paint surface, The removal of the discoloured varnish would improve the tonality of the image."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

First attributed to Ostade by Horst Gerson.  Ostade seems to have painted a small number of comparable still lifes of domestic paraphenalia in outdoor settings, composed on receding diagonals, probably in the 1660s or later.  One such picture is in the Sammlung Max Geldner in Basel, Offentliche Kunstsammlungen, and another, with the same draped kitchen cloth and terracotta colander found in the Sparre picture, was sold in London, Christie's, 9 April 1990, lot 8.

According to Hasselgren, Horst Gerson attributed this work to Adriaen van Ostade, while Hofstede de Groot thought it might be a Cornelis Dusart copy after Ostade.