Philips Koninck

Possibly anonymous sale Amsterdam, 24 September 1777, lot 63;
E.G. Bührle, Zurich, by 1960.

Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, 1986-2000.

Possibly H. Gerson,  Philips Koninck, Berlin 1936, p. 122, cat. no. 187, (under lost paintings);
E. Plietzsch, Holländische und Flämische Maler des XVII. Jahr., Leipzig 1960, p. 109, reproduced, plate 183;
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt Schüler, Landau 1983, vol. III, p. 1539, no. 1013, reproduced;
C. Heße & M. Schlagenhaufer (ed.), Wallraf-Richartz Museum: Vollständiges Verzeichnis der Gemäldesammlung, Cologne 1986, p. 48.

Panel uncradled, flat and stable. beveled on all four sides. painting is under an uneven old varnish. central figure is mostly well retained, while background is notiecably more thin and abraded in areas. there is some scuffing visible at top edge. nothing is visible under ultraviolet due to the thick, old varnish which is impossible to see through. In a plain dark wood frame with gilt inner edge.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Philips Koninck is justly celebrated for his sweeping panoramic landscapes, but his genre interiors, such as this one, which are almost as numerous, are often overlooked. They are nonetheless particularly interesting, because they offer a synthesis of Koninck's Rembrandtesque origins in Amsterdam in the early 1640's with a genre tradition that is decidedly Flemish in spirit, and clearly influenced by Adriaen Brouwer. Koninck was almost certainly not a Rembrandt pupil, but all his drawings and etchings, and his landscape paintings are thoroughly Rembrandtesque. He made numerous drawings of single figures and groups of peasants in taverns which are in many ways comparable with the present picture, but these are more caricature-like in character than the present more reflective subject.

The present painting can be compared with Peasants Making Music in an Inn, dated 1646 in the Staatliches Museum, Schwerin and The Woman Drinking Wine, dated 1649, in the Manchester City Art Gallery (see W. Sumowski, nos. 1010 and 1012).