Quiringh Gerritsz. van Brekelenkam

Anonymous sale, Paris, Drouot, 21-23 November 1927, lot 39;
With Schäffer Galleries, Berlin, 1929;
With Dr. Benedict & Co., Berlin, 1929;
With G. Jetley, London, 1950;
From whom purchased by a private collector;
By descent to his daughter-in-law;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Lady"), London, Christie's, 8 July 2005, lot 32, for £35,000.

London, Eugene Slatter, Exhibition of Dutch and Flemish Masters, 1949, no. 18, reproduced.

A. Lasius, Quiringh van Brekelenkam, Doornspijk 1992, p. 176, no. D88 (under rejected attributions).

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel is cradled and is in good condition. There is a central vertical repaired join with old restoration visible along it. Further restorations can be detected in the grey wall, where pin prick loss has occurred, and to the table legs, where strengthening has taken place. Under ultraviolet light other small retouchings can be detected across the surface. Overall, the painting is in a well preserved original condition. A moderate tonal improvement would be achieved with the removal of the varnish."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This is a relatively early work by Brekelenkam, and in its careful attention to detail it clearly recalls the work of Gerrit Dou, under whom the artist is thought to have trained in his formative years. Brekelenkam entered the newly founded Guild of Saint Luke in Leiden in1648 and seems to have remained in the city for the remainder of his life. There he specialised in genre pieces as well as portraits and still lifes, but the degree of finish and care taken here is unusual in his work. The book of music and the recorder lying upon it, as well as the clavichord in the background indicate the musical interests of either the sitter or her family. The beautifully observed little dog curled up at her feet may also have been intended as a symbol of fidelity.

Although not included by Lasius in her catalogue of the artist's works in 1992, the attribution to Brekelenkam has since been confirmed by both Willem van de Watering and Fred G. Meijer.