A woman selling fish and shrimp; and A man selling fish

Details

WILLEM VAN MIERIS (LEIDEN 1662-1747)
A woman selling fish and shrimp; and A man selling fish
the first signed and dated 'W. van Mieris. Fe^t. 1725.' (upper centre); the second signed and dated 'W. van Mieris. Fe^t. 1716.' (upper centre)
oil on panel, arched tops
8 ½ x 6 1⁄8 in. (21.5 x 15.5 cm.)(2)
a pair (2)

Provenance

Frederick Perkins (1780-1860), Chipstead Place, Kent, and by descent to his son,
George Perkins (1805-1879), Chipstead Place, Kent; his sale (†), Christie's, London, 14 June 1890, lots 10 and 11, where acquired for 150 gns. each by 'Brassey', presumably,
Colonel Albert Brassey (1844-1918), and by descent to his son,
Captain Robert Bingham Brassey (1875-1946), 29 Berkeley Square, London; Christie's, London, 16 February 1940, lots 57 and 58, where acquired for 70 gns. each by the seller at the following,
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 27 November 1959, lot 90, where acquired by the following,
with St James's Gallery, London, where acquired by the father of the seller at the following,
Anonymous sale [Property from a Private Collection]; Sotheby's, London, 6 July 2006, lot 159.
with Johnny van Haeften, London, from whom acquired in 2006 by the present owner.

Literature

C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII Jahrhunderts, X, London, 1928, pp. 148-149, nos. 173 and 174, with provenance and literature partially incorrectly attributed to other works, and the second incorrectly listed as dated 1725.
'Advert - St James's Galleries', The Connoisseur, CXLV, February 1960, p. xlv.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

lspeelman@christies.com +44 207 752 3074

Lot Essay

Although dated nine years apart, the present paintings are identical in format and dimensions, and clearly complement one another in composition and subject; it may be that the second, later painting of the male fishmonger was commissioned to be paired with the first. At the very least, they have been together as a pair since they were sold from the Perkins collection in these Rooms in 1890 (see Provenance). Prior to this their history is elusive; Cornelis Hofstede de Groot appears to have conflated them with at least one other pair of paintings, as the present works are inconsistent with the descriptions and dimensions in the succession of sales listed in his entry.

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