Attributed to Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo

Arthur Kay (c.1862-1939), Glasgow.

A. L. Mayer, Velazquez: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Pictures and Drawings, London 1936, p. 34, cat. no. 144, reproduced pl. 56, where listed as "Perhaps by Mazo";
J. López-Rey, Velázquez: A Catalogue Raisonné of his Oeuvre, London 1963, p. 165, cat no. 129, reproduced p. 132, pl. 221.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The original canvas is lined and the paint layer is flat and secure. There are repaired and restored tears and creases to the top edge, the lower left corner and the lower edge. Minor losses to the figures can be detected and slight abrasion to the browns and darker passages have been strengthened, some canvas weave can still be seen through the paint layer. Overall, in a good preserved condition, the removal of a discoloured varnish would bring out the tonal and chromatic contrasts. Offered in a gilt wood frame with blue cloth rebate, some damages."
"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."

Both Mayer and López-Rey (see Literature) have tentatively attributed this painting to del Mazo and have pointed out that the treatment of the figures is very similar to the group of three women in the right of the foreground of the artist's Queen Street at Aranjuez in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (see López-Rey, op. cit. p. 177, cat. no. 160, reproduced p. 131, pl. 218). 

Arthur Kay (c.1862-1939) was a drapery tycoon from Glasgow and amassed one of the greatest collections of art in Scotland at the end of the nineteenth century. His collection included Degas'  famous L'Absinthe of 1875-6 now in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.