Follower of Pieter de Hooch

Possibly M. Crosnier;

Possibly his sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 22 May 1855, lot 15, (as Pieter de Hooch);

Possibly M. François;

Possibly his deceased sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 7 November 1860, lot 33 (as attributed to Pieter de Hooch);

Possibly anonymous sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 20 February 1862, lot 21 (as School of Pieter de Hooch);

Collection of M.R.A...;

Their sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 17 June 1931, lot 70 (as Pieter-Elinga Janssen);

Major W.H. Tapp, by 1942;

Sir William Rook, Wimbledon Common, 1951;

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 30 October 1998, lot 34 (as Follower of Pieter de Hooch).

Apollo, 35, February 1942, p. 48, reproduced (as attributed to Pieter E. Janssens);

P.C. Sutton, Pieter de Hooch, Oxford 1980, p. 81, cat. no. 27d.

The present painting is thought to be a seventeenth-century copy of the prototype by Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684), signed and dated 1658 in the Marquis de Bute's collection. The recurring theme of a soldier in confrontation with a hostess over payment was treated by seventeenth century Dutch artists including Ludolf de Jongh and Jan Steen. In the present composition, the maidservant holds a coin in her right hand, her open left hand gesturing toward the patron, imploring him to search his pocket for another gold coin. In the background by an open window, two gentlemen and a woman with glass of wine leisurely converse around a table, oblivious to the nearby contention. The hostess's weary expression and the soldier's nonchalant stance suggest that the duo have performed this ritual many times before. This must have been a familiar occurence, making this composition an appealing social comedy to 17th century Dutch patrons.