Pieter de Hooch

Probably M. Zachary, London;
Probably his sale, London, Phillips, May 31, 1828, lot 24 (unsold?);
Probably his sale, London, Christie's, March 30, 1838, lot 42;
Probably John A. Beaver;
Probably his sale, London, Christie's, June 20, 1840, lot 100, to M. Nieuwenhuys;
Probably Jean André Tardieu;
Probably his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, May 10, 1867, lot 25;
Max Kahn, Paris;
His sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, March 3, 1979, lot 31;
With Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1888 and 1892;
George A. Hearn;
By whom given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Inv. no. 93.22.2);
By whom sold, New York, Christie's, January 11, 1989, lot 165;
There purchased by the present collector.

Probably London, British Institution, 1832, no. 104;
Vancouver, B.C., Art Gallery, Rembrandt to Van Gogh, September 17-October 13, 1957, no. 10.

Probably J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the works of the most emiment Dutch, Flemish and French Painters, London 1833, vol. IV, cat. no. 56;
H. Havard, "Pieter de Hooch, in L'Art e les artistes Hollandais, III, Paris 1880, p. 98;
C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné..., vol. I, Esslingen-Paris 1907, no. 39 and probably no. 55;
C. Brière-Misme, "Tableaux inedits ou peu connus de Pieter de Hooch," Parts I-III, in Gazette des Beaux Arts, November 1927, p. 265;
W. Valentiner, Pieter de Hooch, Klassiker der Kunst, Berlin-Leipzig 1929, p. 285, reproduced p. 141 (as circa 1675-80);
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catalogue of Paintings, New York 1931, cat. no. H76-1;
K. Baetjer, European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, A Summary Catalogue, New York 1980, vol. I, p. 88, reproduced vol. III, p. 445;
P. C. Sutton, Pieter de Hooch, Ithaca 1980, pp. 115-16, cat. no. 144, reproduced Plate 147 (as circa 1680).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been fairly recently restored. The canvas has been lined, the paint layer has been cleaned and the restoration is minimal and focused only in the dress of the young girl by the door. There is some other thinness in the floor around the girl and the dog, and there are also a few other dots of restoration which have been applied elsewhere randomly, beneath the open window for instance. For the most part however, the condition of the paint in most areas, except for the floor and the girl's dress, is very good. This picture is successful only if the balance between dark and light is well understood and it is possible that a further cleaning and some attention to the thinness in the floor and the girls' clothing will have a positive effect. Overall the condition is very good for the most part and this is an interesting picture which requires some careful attention in a few areas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Domestic scenes featuring women and children performing household chores were some of de Hooch's favorite subjects and he was one of the first Dutch artists to make a specialty of this genre.  Domestic imagery first appeared in de Hooch's works during his years in Delft in the 1650s, however Peter Sutton (see literature) dates this painting to circa 1680, late in the artist's career when he was living in Amsterdam.  He compares it in execution, and specifically in the treatment of the light falling on the figure of the seated woman before the gilt leather wall hanging, with A Woman with a Serving Girl, in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille.¹

 

1  Inv. no. P304, see P. Sutton, op.cit., p. 115, cat. no. 143, reproduced Plate 146.