Dutch School, 17th century

With Edward Speelman, London (as Jacob van Velsen);

From whom acquired in the 1960s by the grandparents of the current owner.

This painting, formerly attributed to Jacob van Velsen (1597–1656), is now believed to have been completed by an anonymous Dutch painter of the seventeenth century. Curiously, the figures, which appear to be dressed in clothing dating to no later than 1630, are set in an interior which recalls upright interiors painted in the Netherlands from about 1650 onwards. Dendrochronological analysis concludes that the oak board is from the Meuse / Rhine valley region, with a latest heartwood ring of 1603. Allowing for the likely amounts of missing sapwood this panel dates from after c. 1611.¹ 

Infra-red imaging reveals two pentimenti: a much smaller ebony frame originally intended for the picture above the sitters, and a pot in the lower left corner. The outline around the servant's head also appears to have been altered.

¹ Dendrochronological Consultancy Report 1475. Ian Tyers, May 2023.