This joyful picture of two young musicians bears close relation to the works of Jan Miense Molenaer (1610-1668) and his wife Judith Leyster (1609-1660), to whom it was traditionally attributed.
The present picture comes from the collection of the late banker George Pinto (1929- 2018). Pinto was an art lover and patron of the National Gallery and a trustee of the Wallace Collection. He kept a select collection of paintings he had inherited at his homes in Kent and Knightsbridge. In May 2020 the National Gallery in London acquired works through Christie’s by Jean-Etienne Liotard, Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence from the collection via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
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Condition report
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This relined canvas is held under tension and remains stable. The canvas is covered in an old yellowing and streaky varnish and has experienced abrasion over time particularly in the darker passages of the background. There is some historic restoration in the flesh tones, as well as scattered restoration in the boy’s costume. Ultraviolet examination reveals a thick layer of obscuring varnish with more recent restoration in the whites of the little girl’s apron, headdress and collar, as well as in the whites of the boy’s shirt and the darker passages of his costume. The artist’s painterly technique remains appreciable.
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Lot 169Sale 18877
A boy and a girl playing music by candlelightATTRIBUTED TO JAN MIENSE MOLENAER (HAARLEM C. 1610-1698)Estimate: GBP 7,000 - 10,000
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