Isaac van Ostade

Sir Francis Cook, 1st Bt. (1817-1901), Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey, and thence by descent to;
Sir Frederick Cook, 2nd Bt. (1844-1920), Richmond, and thence by descent to;
Sir Herbert Cook, 3rd Bt. (1868-1939), Richmond, and thence by descent to;
Sir Francis Cook, 4th Bt. (1907-1978), Richmond;
From whom acquired by M.H. Drey, London, 1957;
Prof. Rolf Stödter, Hamburg;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 6 July 1983, lot 104 (as by Adriaen van Ostade and with the image reversed);
With Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam;
Where acquired by the present owners in 1983 (as Isaac van Ostade).

London, Art Exhibitions Bureau, Circulating Exhibition on view at Lincoln; Rochdale; Nottingham; Bedford; Middlesborough; Hull; Birkenhead; Sheffield; Bradford; Norwich, Dutch and Flemish Paintings of the Seventeenth Century from the Cook Collection, August 1946-November 1947, no. 33 (as Adriaen van Ostade);
Providence, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, on loan 1983-1987;
Greenwich, Connecticut, Bruce Museum of Arts and Science, Old Master Paintings from the Hascoe Collection, 2 April - 29 May 2005, no. 3.

Abridged Catalogue of the Pictures at Doughty House, Richmond. (Belonging to Sir Frederick Cook, Bart., Visconde de Monserrate), London 1907 & 1914, p. 24, no. 113 (as Adriaen van Ostade and hanging in the Long Gallery);
C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. III, London 1910, p. 317, no. 577 (as Adriaen van Ostade);
J.O. Kronig, A Catalogue of the Paintings at Doughty House, Richmond & Elsewhere in the Collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bt., Visconde de Monserrate, Sir Herbert Cook, ed., vol. II:  Dutch and Flemish Schools, London 1914, p. 69, no. 303 (as Adriaen van Ostade and hanging in the Long Gallery);
M.W. Brockwell, Abridged Catalogue of the Pictures at Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey, in the Collection of Sir Herbert Cook, Bart., London 1932, p. 42, no. 303 (as Adriaen van Ostade and hanging in the Long Gallery);
P. Sutton, Old Master Paintings from the Hascoe Collection (exh. cat. Bruce Museum), Greenwich 2005, p. 14, no. 3, reproduced (with incorrect provenance).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This panel has been quite recently restored. The reverse is un-supported and the panel is originally made of two sections of oak joined horizontally through the center of the painting above the figures. The paint layer is clean and varnished. Under ultraviolet light no restorations are visible and under close examination with the naked eye there are no areas that seem to be conspicuously restored. However, in the lower left corner there is an old break in the panel which has some restoration and there is a slightly warm tone to the entire piece which may not be original but nonetheless is a very pleasant patina. The painting should most likely be hung as is.
"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."

Long considered to be an early work by his older brother and teacher, Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685), the present painting was identified as the work of Isaac shortly before being acquired by the present owners.  Although only active as a painter for about a decade, Isaac van Ostade is widely regarded as one of the most innovative Dutch low-life and landscape painters, having made significant contributions to both genres.  

Here, a large, rustic interior opens onto a scene of peasants relaxing and gaming together.  An open hearth to the left warms the room, while a lead-paned window illuminates the scene with clear light.  The brown and umber palette seen here is characteristic of Isaac's work of the early to mid-1640s, and adds to the warm yet ramshackle feel of the entire composition.   

We are grateful to John Somerville, Keeper of the Cook Collection Archive, for his help in cataloguing this lot.