Attributed to Govert Flinck Kleve 1615 - 1660 Amsterdam

E.J. Thomassen à Thuessink van der Hoop van Slochteren, Fraeylemaborg;
sale, Utrecht, Beijers, 6 October 1971, part of lot 674;
purchased at that sale by Hans van Leeuwen, Amerongen (L.2799a);
sale of his collection, Amsterdam, Christie's, 24 November 1992, lot 77

Utrecht, Centraal Museum, Nederlandse Tekeningen uit drie Eeuwen, 1978, no. 44

Peter Schatborn, 'Een toeschrijving aan Govert Flinck', in Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 1974, vol. 22, nos. 2-3, pp. 111-20, no. 10, reproduced plate 12 

One or two very minor thin spots, but otherwise overall condition extremely good and fresh. Unframed.
"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."

'Paapeculle' is a popular name for a group of plants.  D.O. Wijnands of the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam was, however, the first to recognize that the plant seen here is not in fact a Paapeculle, but an Amaranthus, belonging to a genus of plants imported from the East Indies to Europe in 1584.  A comparable inscription is also found on a study of a cauliflower, by the same hand, in the Rijksmuseum (see Schatborn, op.cit., no. 4, reproduced plate 11).