Jan Havicksz. Steen

Anonymous sale, The Hague, Macalester Loup, 20 August 1806, lot 18, for 54 guilders,
Where (probably) bought by Johan Gabriel Schwarzmann (1739-1812);
Thence by descent to Maria Anna Schwarzmann (1778-1847), married to Pierre Bartholomeus van den Hove (1763-1839);
Thence by descent to their daughter Anna Maria Ludicova van den Hove (1822-1855), who married Eduard Theodor Leon Speyart van Woerden (1813-1881);
Thence by descent to Cornelius L.M.E.J.E. Speyart van Woerden (1849-1911);
Thence by descent to the present owner.

C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke....vol. I, Esslingen/Paris 1907, p. 82, no. 345;
K. Braun, Jan Steen, Rotterdam 1980, p. 149, no. A-202.

The actual painting is a bit warmer in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The single piece of panel is slightly bowed and bevelled to the lower edge. The paint surface seems to be in good condition and shows no major damages. Minor thinnes is visible in the green of the dress. A very tiny retouching is visible in the boy's face, as well as one in the woman's purse and one in the stool to the right. Two small repaired damages can be seen in the lower right corner. This is confirmed by UV light, although the shiny varnish layer obscures further inspection partly. Offered in a wood frame with gilt and red inlay in good condition. (ML/MW)
"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."

According to his early biographers, Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719) and Jacob Campo Weyerman (1677-1747), Steen received his initial training from the Utrecht painter Nicolaus Knüpfer (1603-1655) and Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1684) in Haarlem prior to his arrival in the studio of Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) in The Hague, probably as a journeyman.¹ There are no documents that confirm Steen's apprenticeship with Adriaen van Ostade, but his early work clearly shows the latter's influence.² Therefore, it is widely accepted that Steen spent some time in the studio of Van Ostade, most likely in the mid 1640s. In the early stages of his career, Steen frequently used Van Ostade's compositions and type of figures as published in his influential etchings, in which often two or three figures are situated in a modest, domestic setting scattered with goods. As noted by De Vries, Steen's earlier works show the hand of an unexperienced painter, possibly due to the short period of training after his education at Leiden's Latin School and before registering at the Guild of Saint Luke in 1648.³

This painting attests to Steen's interest in the Haarlem tradition of low-life genre and his still developing artistic personality. In a humble peasant interior an elderly woman is undressing a young boy ready for bed. Although the painting's setting is akin to compositions by Van Ostade, Steen's characteristic interest in the anecdotal details and the human aspect of life is already evident. The composition centers on the affectionate way in which the grandmother is caring for her grandson. With little means, Steen manages to promote such daily activity into a subject of domestic virtue. The beautiful simplicity of the theme is matched by the uniform lighting and subdued tonality of earthen hues.

This painting predates the more mature works of Steen in which compositions are much more ambitious and monumental, displaying the artist's skill in the rendering of textures. In style and execution of figures, the present painting relates to early works such as the Keisnijding of c. 1655 in the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam. Compare for example, the surgeon's head in the Rotterdam painting with the head of the elderly woman in the present work. Similar in concept of space and in the execution of figures and still life elements is the early work The Surgeon at work, sold in these Rooms, 28 April 1976, lot 198. 

Dendrochronological analysis of the panel by Prof. Dr. Peter Klein, Hamburg, shows that the earliest creation of the painting is possible from 1635 onwards, however, a creation from 1641 is more plausible.

The proceeds of this lot will be used for the erection of a monument dedicated to the late Princess Wilhelmina which will be placed in The Hague, The Netherlands.

1. H. P. Chapman, W. Kloek and A. Wheelock, Jan Steen, schilder en verteller, exhibition catalogue, Amsterdam and Washington 1996, p. 28.
2. Lyckle de Vries has suggested that a portrait of Steen by Isaac van Ostade was made during Steen's apprenticeship with Adriaen van Ostade, see op. cit., p. 35, note 58.
3. op. cit., p. 69.