Jacob Duck

John Bramston Stone, Esq., London, 1888;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 7 June 1912, lot 8;
With Charles Brunner, Paris, before 1925;
J. Bruinse, Paris, 1925;
Anonymous sale, Lucerne, 18 June 1927, lot 227;
Mrs. Von Buch, Buenos Aires;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 31 October 1980, lot 125;
With Hoogsteder-Naumann, New York, 1982;
Peter Eliot, New York, 1984.

Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen Preussicher Kulturbesitz; London, Royal Academy of Arts, Masters of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting, 18 March-18 November 1984, no. 38.

O. Naumann, in P. Sutton (ed.), Masters of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia 1984, cat. no. 38, pp. 192-3, reproduced;
A. Jensen Adams, Dutch and Flemish Paintings from New York Private Collections, New York 1988, cat. no. 15;
N. Salomon, Jacob Duck and the Gentrification of Dutch Genre Painting, Doornspijk 1998, p. 148, cat. no. 31, reproduced in color, plate VI, and fig. 74.

Panel has been cradled and is flat and stable. the overall conditon is very good with nice detail in figures and only some slight thinnesses. this is mostly noticeable in background areas, such as area with woman in doorway at right side. examination under ultraviolet light reveals only a few small retouches in background. for the most part, figures look good. Offered in an elaborately carved and gilt wood frame.
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.

Though upon first glance this small panel by Jacob Duck appears to be an innocent and altogether classic genre scene, there are in fact clear sexual connotations which become quite evident upon further examination. Prior to cleaning, both the exposed chest of the sleeping woman, as well as the ambivalent position of the standing woman's hand were covered by later additions.¹ Otto Naumann identifies a possible pendant to the present picture (present whereabouts unknown), which presents a more explicitly, and perhaps traditional approach to a brothel house scene.²  In that work, the same man is represented, but he is shown awake and holding a glass of wine whilst embracing a woman attentively in his lap. When considered as a pair, it is possible to interepret the set of pictures as a metaphor for female lust and male impotence.³

The panel may be dated on stylistic grounds to Duck's late career. The upright format, use of limited and localized bright color (in this case the red blouse), and the specific gestures of the characters are indicative of other similar pictures from the 1650's. In addition, the specific costumes found on the characters here can be dated to the 1650's. For instance, the standing woman's intricate lace jacket does not appear in painted form prior to 1654.⁴

1. For an image of the picture prior to cleaning, see Sutton 1984, op. cit., p. 193, fig. 1.
2. Ibid, fig. 2. 
3. Ibid, p. 192.
4. see J.H. der Kinderen-Besier, Spelevaart der mode: De kledij onzer voorouders in de zeventiende eeuw, Amsterdam 1950, p. 137, fig. 114, insert E [1650] and F [1654].