Jacob Ochtervelt

Anonymous sale, London, Bonhams, 6 July 2011, lot 50 (as bearing indistinct initials 'F*V*').

The catalogue illustration is much too red in tone. The panel is flat and uncradled. The painting has recently been cleaned and restored and is in fair overall condition. The background and the casement have been much restored, especially in the curtained area immediately behind the man, and the shadowed lower left hand corner has been repainted. The figure is much better preserved, with only minor intervention to details of the ringlets in the hair and the fingers. The restoration is well carried out and not obtrusive. The varnish is glossy and even and the picture will not require any further attention. Offered with a modern ebonised wood frame in good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Jacob Ochtervelt is perhaps best known for his elegant genre pictures depicting vignettes of the lives of the Dutch upper-middle-classes, like his contemporaries Johannes Vermeer (1632–75) and Pieter de Hooch (1629–84). Between 1665 and circa 1675, however, Ochtervelt also painted a number of half-figure niche scenes, which merit their own distinctive category within his œuvre, and reveal the influence of the Leiden artists Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635–81) and Gerrit Dou (1613–75). This painting is compositionally similar to another work by Ochtervelt, in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main (inv. no. 606), which also features a well-dressed gentleman within the framing device of the niche, leaning over the sill with a beret. When last on the market in 2011 (see under Provenance), the present picture was recorded as bearing indistinct initials 'F*V*' (lower left on the window ledge).