Quiringh Gerritsz. van Brekelenkam

Johan Jacob Woertman, Utrecht;
His sale, Utrecht, 5-7 March 1810, lot 2;
H. A. van den Heuvel;
His sale, Utrecht, 27 June 1825, lot 3;
M. Herman de Kat, Dordrecht;
His sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 2 May 1866, lot 14, for 1350 FR;
Dr. Delestres, Paris;
Victor de Cock, Paris, 1908;
Sir William van Horne, Montreal (died in 1915) and thence by descent;
Sold by his descendants ("Paintings formerly in the Collection of the late Sir William Van Horne, K.C.M.G."), London, Sotheby's, 6 December 1972, lot 16, for £27,000 to Green;
With Richard Green, London, 1974;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 5 July 1989, lot 33;
With David Carritt Ltd.;
Anonymous sale ("Property of a Gentleman"), London, Sotheby's, 4 December 1997, lot 80;
There purchased by the present collector.

H. Havard, "Quiringh Brekelenkam," in L'Art et les artistes hollandais, IV, Paris 1881, p. 128 (La Dentellière, H. de Kat Collection);
A. Lasius, Quiringh van Brekelenkam, Doornspijk 1992, pp. 32, 128, cat. no. 170, reproduced plate 50.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. The panel is made from two pieces of wood joined horizontally through the knees of the mother. The reverse has been cradled. The paint layer is likely to be dirty and will respond to cleaning. Beneath the old varnish retouches are faintly visible under ultraviolet light in the face of the mother, which has discolored slightly, but throughout the remainder of the picture the condition is well above average. Although retouches have been applied and will need to be replaced in some areas, they are confined to very specific spots to swelling of the wood grain and slight thinness. Overall the condition is very good.
"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."

Angelika Lasius (see Literature) dates this painting to around 1655, a period when Brekelenkam painted a number of domestic scenes, mostly in an oblong format, depicting families eating a meal or saying grace.  The present painting is an especially appealing and serene image of family life.  Having finished their meal, everyone has taken up their own activity.  The mother concentrates on making lace while the husband reads by the fire, both seemingly undisturbed by their young son playing a flute for his little sister who is sitting in a child's chair.

The distinctive table at right appears in two other paintings by the artist, Interior with Old Man Reading, dated 1655 (Groote Schuur, Capetown), and The Refreshing Draught (Old Man and Young Woman at an Inn) dated 1661 (the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt).¹

1.  See A. Lasius, Quiringh van Brekelenkam, Doornspijk 1992, cat. nos. 86 and 229, reproduced plates 15 and 78 respectively.