As pointed out by Schultz, the present lot is closely related to the picture of Christ .... out of St. Peter's ... in the Lake Gennesaret of 1667 in the National Gallery, London (see Schultz, op.cit., p. 164, no. 149, fig. 40). He therefore does not exclude the fact that its subject, although less evident than in the London picture, is in fact Biblical. If such was the case, it would represent a reworking of a theme treated in 1642, in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (Schultz, op.cit., p. 132, no. 26, fig. 12) and in 1648 in private collection (Schultz, op.cit., p. 139, no. 55). Although Saftleven's subject matter was limited, his style evolved during his career. His pictures of the 1660's, of which the present lot is an excellent example, show the artist's preference for a small scale and for the rendering of precise detail

See colour illustration