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Lot Essay
We are grateful to Mr Guido Jansen of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, and Mr Wouter Kloek of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for independently confirming the attribution to the artist and his studio, after examining the picture in the original.
As noted by Jansen, the picture shows Steen's characteristic painterly technique, with the figure painted in a so-called 'reserve', causing a halo around the figure's outline. With the naked eye, pentimenti are visible in the figure's left sleeve, where Steen has modified its length and position. As noted by Mr. Jansen, however, the objects on the table are the work of a less capable hand, according to Jansen, which makes assistance by Steen's studio in this area of the composition plausible. Mr. Jansen dates this picture to the 1670s.
Scientific examination of the signature shows it to be contemporary with the paint surface, including the strengthened letters.
As noted by Jansen, the picture shows Steen's characteristic painterly technique, with the figure painted in a so-called 'reserve', causing a halo around the figure's outline. With the naked eye, pentimenti are visible in the figure's left sleeve, where Steen has modified its length and position. As noted by Mr. Jansen, however, the objects on the table are the work of a less capable hand, according to Jansen, which makes assistance by Steen's studio in this area of the composition plausible. Mr. Jansen dates this picture to the 1670s.
Scientific examination of the signature shows it to be contemporary with the paint surface, including the strengthened letters.