亞德里安·嚴斯·凡·沃斯塔

Augustin Lapeyrière (1779–1831) collection, Paris;

His sale, Paris, Henry, Lacoste, 19–29 April 1825, lot 136 for 4,205 Francs;

M. Boursault, Paris;

His sale, Paris, Paillet, 7 May 1832, lot 32, but probably sold with the majority of the Boursault collection by Henry Artaria in 1835 to;

Edmund Higginson, Saltmarshe Castle, Herefordshire, by 1842;

His sale, London, Christie's, 6 June 1846, lot 193, for £150:3s. to Emery (all the above as Hofstede de Groot no. 268; at Saltmarshe also as Hofstede de Groot no. 742c);

Possibly G. H. Morland, London;

His sale, London, Christie's, 9 May 1863, for £141:15s. to Pierce (Hofstede de Groot no. 480a);

Possibly Wynn Ellis, London;

His sale, London, Christie's, 27 May 1876, lot 62, for £236:5s. to Pearson (Hofstede de Groot no. 742c);

Baron E. de Beurnonville;

His sale, Paris, Pillet, 9 May 1881, lot 403, for 11,500 Francs to A. de Castro (Hofstede de Groot no. 271a);

Possibly with Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam;

Possibly A. F. Philips, New York (bears a New York storage label on the frame), and perhaps given by him to

F. J. Philips, Eindhoven;

By descent until sold, London, Sotheby's, 6 December 2006, lot 14, for £200,000, where acquired by the present owner.

 

J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné...,vol. I, London 1829, p. 154, no. 171;

A Descriptive Catalogue of the Gallery of Pictures collected by Edmund Higginson, Esq., of Saltmarshe, London 1842, p. 42, no. 103;

J. Smith, Supplement to the Catalogue Raisonné..., London 1849, p. 118, no. 130;

Possibly G. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain, vol. II, London 1854, p. 296;

C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné..., vol. III, London 1910, pp. 222–23, cat. nos 268, 271a, and possibly pp. 289, 369, cat. nos 480a, 742c.

The signed work is made up of a single oak panel, uncradled yet remarkably strong and flat. The panel thickens slightly towards the right hand edge. The wood grain is beautiful and regular. The paint surface is very even and well - preserved, with a thick protective varnish applied evenly throughout.There is no sign of flaking or loss of paint. The detail of the objects lying strewn on the dirt ground, the broken chair, the expressive faces, and the rough fabrics remain fresh and effective. There is very little sign of thinning of paint surface which is very desirable for works of this age and interior scene genre, as the details are what count. The paint has not darkened or dirtied to the extent that the background has sunk completely. On the contrary: the mother leaning over the hearth, the brickwork and the large chimney in the dark corner are all discernible and very evocative of atmosphere. Inspection under UV light reveals very finely-executed restrengthenings to the dark contours of the muddy floor on the left, to the objects on the floor, and to the firewood resting agains the wall on the left. Scattered retouchings within the coat of the man on the left, to the dark area beneath the table and to the trouser leg of the man on the right and to the woman's sleeve. Larger areas of scattered retouchings to the interior of the hearth in the background and to the upper right corner. This lot is offered in a wood frame painted black, in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The arrangement of figures positioned in the corner of a room with a large chimney defining the depth of space was a compositional type often used by Ostade in the late 1640s and 1650s. The child brightly lit at the centre of the scene is completely ignored by the men in their drunken conversation and the woman busying at the stove – even the dog seems uninterested. Yet it is through this small figure that the painter brings light and life into the room.

We are grateful to Dr Hiltraud Doll, who was unaware of this picture until recently, for helping to untangle the provenance, and for confirming on the basis of transparencies that it is a typical work of 1649. She will include it in her forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Adriaen and Isack van Ostade as no. 114a.