Circle of Gabriel Metsu

Ricquier (according to an old wax-seal on the reverse of the panel);
Percy B. Meyer, U.K.,
By whose Executors sold, London, Christie's, 16 March 1956, lot 56 (as by Gabriël Metsu and signed with initials) for 450 Guineas, to Watling;
With Daan Cevat, London/Guernsey, where bought for the collection of the present owner in 1961. 

Burlington Magazine, February 1956 (advertisement);
F.W. Robinson, Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667). A Study of His Place in Dutch Genre Painting of the Golden Age, New York 1974, p. 42, reproduced p. 150, fig. 83.

The actual painting is a lot warmer and softer in tone, and shows more detail than the catalogue illustration suggests. The single panel is flat and stable and very lightly bevelled on all sides. There is a minor tendency towards cupping along the left edge, but otherwise, the paint surface seems to be in very good condition. The thick paint application in the woman's headdress and costume, and in the fire is very well preserved. Some tiny scattered retouchings can be observed in the centre background, in the boy's costume, and in the woman's face and right hand. The paint surface is covered with a slightly dirty and unevenly applied layer of varnish. Inspection under ultra violet light confirms the retouchings as mentioned above and also reveals retouchings along the outer right edge. Offered in an elaborately carved gilt wood frame with thin cracks in the corners, but otherwise, in good condition. (MW)
"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."

This lovely genre scene of a woman preparing a meal of pancakes for a young boy by a fire fits well into the style of genre paintings executed in the middle of the 17th Century. It is therefore not surprising that this work used to be regarded as by Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667). The subject matter and composition come close to some of Metsu's genre paintings from the late 1650s, before he started to paint his refined genre paintings.¹ However, this attribution can no longer be sustained. Dr Adriaan Waiboer, who closely examined the work first hand, confirmed that although done by a high-quality artist, the present painting does not reveal Metsu's detailed hand, but is instead probably by an artist from his circle. It is hard to distinguish a specific hand in the close circle of Metsu,  and the present painting must thus remain unidentified at present.

1. See Robinson under Literature.