Haarlem School, 17th Century

John Gooch, London;
His sale, London, Paiba and Paiba, 5–6 May 1908, lot 58 (as Bartolomeus van der Helst, signed and dated 1650);
Private Collection, Copenhagen;
Anonymous sale, Stockholm, Bukowski, 8 November 1967, lot 192 (as Theodor Rombouts);
With Brian L. Koetser, London, 1968 (as by Bronckhorst);
With David Koetser, Zurich, 1972 (as by Bronckhorst).

London, Brian Koetser Gallery, Spring exhibition, 1968, no. 53.

Apollo, April 1968, p. 293, reproduced fig. 3;
F.W. Robinson, Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), New York 1974, pp. 23, 75 n.38, reproduced fig. 18a (as by Bronckhorst);
T. Döring, Studien zur Künstlerfamilie Van Bronckhorst, Bonn 1989, p. 262, no. EA 22 (under rejected attributions).

The canvas has an old, firm relining. The paint surface appears to be in good overall condition with no major damages in evidence. There are three minor restored tears along the lower margin, none measuring more than 4cm. There are scattered minor retouchings and strengthenings throughout but the faces themselves remain largley in their original state.
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The subject is taken from the annual Flemish celebration of the Feast of Epiphany. The Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings (Matthew 2:1–12) was celebrated on the 6th January, and was usually the occasion of a large family dinner. The evening began with the proclamation of a 'king', chosen by lot. This was often done by the concealment of a bean in a large cake, and the person in whose portion it was found would preside over the festivities. The subject was particularly popular among artists, notably the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens, who painted it several times, and in most cases, as here, the role of the 'King' is appropriately played by the eldest member of the company.

Despite its evident high quality, this canvas has thus far defied attempts at a secure attribution. The indistinct (?) signature and date recorded by Robinson and others in the past are no longer visible. The style and handling of the paint would suggest that its author may have come from one of two possible centres in the Netherlands, Utrecht or, perhaps more probably, Haarlem. The painting has in the past been attributed to one painter from the former city, namely Jan Gerritsz. van Bronckhorst (c.1603–1661), who worked in Utrecht between 1639 and 1650, and for many years it was considered to be by him. The style of this work does not sit well, however, with Bronckhorst's somewhat flatter rendering of figures and his interest in illusonistic effects. The seated boy with his feathered cap, and the little girl beside him, are perhaps more reminiscent of the work of the Haarlem painters such as Jan Miense Molenaer (1610–1668) and Judith Leyster (1609-1660), in whose circle such subjects seem to have enjoyed a particular vogue. Certainly the still life elements in the picture seem to betray an awareness of contemporary works in Haarlem by Pieter Claesz. or Floris van Schooten. Döring records two copies: one sold New York, Phillips, 17 November 1982, lot 51 (as a copy after Bronckhorst) and another in a Dutch private collection.