Pieter Cornelisz. van Slingelandt Leiden 1640 - 1691

Johann van der Marck, Burgomaster of Leiden;
His deceased sale, Amsterdam, De Winter, August  23, 1773, lot 299, sold with a pendant, Portrait of a man in a robe with a statue of Mercury beyond (Hofstede de Groot no.146), 50 fl. to Yver (presumably Jan Yver, the well-known Dutch auctioneer and dealer);
Jacques Clemens, Canon of St Bavo, Ghent;
His deceased sale, Ghent, June 21,1779, lot 260;
Van Saceghem, Ghent;
His sale, Brussels, Le Roy, June 2, 1851, lot 78, for 185 francs to Léord;
Jean-Baptiste Foucart, Valenciennes;
His deceased sale, Valenciennes, Gostieau, October 12, 1898, lot 142.

C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol.V, London 1913, p.468, no.169.

With its vibrant palette and detailed background, this painting tenderly portrays the sitter in her betrothal or marriage portrait.  In 1773, it was recorded with a pendant, Portrait of a man with a statue of Mercury (see Provenance).  The young woman holds a rosebud and behind her in the elegant garden is a statue of Flora with a wreath of flowers, symbolising Spring and hopefulness.  The unusually complete provenance of the painting reveals that it was in the collection of Johann van der Marck, Burgomaster of Leiden, until its sale in 1773, suggesting that the young woman may have been a member of van der Marck’s family. This painting was probably made in the 1670s, when Slingeland executed most of his delicate, genre-like portraits.