Attributed to David Teniers the Younger

Count F.C. Moltke, Copenhagen, before 1905;
His sale, Copenhagen, W. Winkel & Magnussen, 1 June 1931, lot 126;
With H. Bukowskis Konsthandel, Stockholm;
From whom acquired by Herr Hans Gompertz Gevert, Rio di Janeiro, in 1954;
Thence by inheritance to his wife, Olga Gompertz Gevert, Rio di Janeiro;
From whom acquired directly by the present owner in 1968.

Fortegnelse over den Molteske malerisamling, Copenhagen 1905, p. 13, no. 14;
A. von Wurzbach, Niederländisches Künstler-Lexikon, Vienna and Leipzig 1910, vol. 2, p. 696;
Catalogue des tableaux de la collection du comte de Moltke, Copenhagen 1913, p. 9, no. 14.

The panel is flat and appears to consist of a single piece, beveled on the lower and left hand edges. The paint surface is stable under a clear varnish with no damages visible to the naked eye. Inspection under UV reveals extensive retouching to the cabinet in the background and to the wall surrounding the birdcage. There are minor scattered retouches to the figures and drapery and a repaired loss by the feet of the left hand figure. Offered in a carved wood frame with gilt slip
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This humble and serene genre painting is characteristic of the style of David Teniers the Younger.   Capturing quotidian scenes of domesticity in the lives of peasants, his interior scenes are simple yet skillfully composed.  In this painting we are presented with an aged peasant couple spinning thread in a typically rustic interior. The light, presumably from a small window upper left, catches the inside of the copper bowl above and illuminates the expressive features of the wizened, elderly woman while leaving the man slightly in shadow. The otherwise distinctly monochrome palette is interrupted by the blues, reds and whites of the woman's garb and the flashes of highlighting on her face, wrinkled in concentration as she works.