Books, manuscripts, a lute and a tea set on a draped table, a man holding a book nearby

We are grateful to Mr. Fred Meijer of the RKD, The Hague, for confirming the attribution after inspecting the original (verbal communication, 8 September 2005). He points out that within the oeuvre attributed to the so-called Pseudo-Roestraten, a select group of pictures stands out that depict the subject of an old, bearded man seated at a table with books and manuscripts (see anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Monaco, 19 June 1994, lot 595; and anonymous sale; Drouot, Paris, 23 May 1984, lot 20) and that these paintings might be attributed to a single artist presently grouped under the title of Pseudo-Roestraeten.