Adriaen Jansz. van Ostade Haarlem 1610 - 1685

Hanging at Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland, probably since the mid-19th century;
Thence by family descent.

"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 in good condition. There is a wood knot upper right which shows through to the paint surface. The paint surface is sound but the paint is raised along the horizontal wood grain. The discoloured and opaque varnish hides a fine filigree of pale cracking in the darker passages. Under u-v light small areas of restorations can be seen."
"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."

This is one of Adriaen van Ostade's most ambitious and accomplished early works. The pale, pastel colours of pinks and blues are typical of Ostade's work in the 1630s. Furthermore, and as noted by Frau Hiltraud Doll, the repoussoir device at the left margin is entirely consistent with his work in the mid-1630s and, indeed, can be viewed as firm evidence of his authorship; in his early works this device is always found on the side from which the light source emanates.

Ostade's art did not adopt the style and subject matter for which he is perhaps most famous until the mid-1640s. Until then his paintings closely followed the example of Adriaen Brouwer (c.1605-1638), whose interiors of boisterous peasants had a profound influence not only on Ostade, but on numerous artists throughout The Netherlands, both North and South. Ostade continued to paint in this manner until the mid-1640s when his paintings begin to lose both the pallid tones and bawdy subjects in favour of a richer palette and milder subjects such as schoolrooms, weddings or kermesses.

We are grateful to Frau Hiltraud Doll for endorsing the attribution to Ostade following first hand inspection.

For a history of Brinkburn Priory see J. Crawford Hodgson F.S.A.,  A History of Northumberland, vol. VII, 1904.