Sebastiaan Vrancx

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Belgian Collector"), London, Sotheby's, 21 April 1982, lot 60, for £7,040;
With Galerie André Gombert, Paris;
Acquired from the above by a private collector, by whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 12 July 2001, lot 180, for £22,000, where acquired by the present owner.

"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 reasonable condition with a previously repaired central vertical join which is unstable again. Most of the paint surface is in good condition but there are small areas of raised and unstable paint, lower left and right, with some previous paint loss and consequential restoration. These areas will need further attention. There is some old retouching along the central join and along the left hand edge where there has been earlier paint instability. Discoloured restoration is visible upper right in the sky. Elsewhere, the glazes and impasto are intact and the condition is good. The varnish is discoloured and an improvement in the tonality would be achieved with its removal. Modern dark wood and veneered frame-good condition."
"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."

Another version of this composition, with only minor differences and of the same dimensions is in the Museum of Western and Orient Art, Kiev (Witt Library Mount); another sold Stuttgart, Nagel, 21 September 2006, lot 1641; and another, in landscape format, sold Berlin, Lepke, 30 September 1913, lot 240.