Johannes Vermeer: Provenance

What is provenance?¹

Provenance (from the French provenir, "to come from"), is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was once primarily used in relation to works of art, but is now used in similar sense in other fields such as archaeology, paleontology, science and computing.

The primary purpose of tracing the provenance of a painting is to provide evidence its origin by establishing, as far as possible, its history via the sequences of its ownership, custody and places of storage. Provenance research attempts to produce a complete list of owners from the present time backwards to when the painting left the artist's studio. Provenance should also list when the painting has been part of an exhibition and a bibliography of when it has been discussed or illustrated in print. Auction records are an important resource to assist in researching the provenance of paintings. Modern paintings may present exhibition marks, dealer stamps, gallery labels and other indications of previous ownership on their back side. However these can be forged or accidentally destroyed.

Establishing provenance may help authenticate artworks but it may also be important to record the physical details of the painting style, subject, signature, materials, dimensions and frame. Such information sometimes helps to shed light on the historical, social, and economic context in which a work of art was created and collected, as well as on the history of taste.

Establishing an unbroken line of provenance of older paintings is rarely achieved. Few records survive from the more distant past, and records can sometimes be questioned. The titles of paintings and the attribution to a particular artist frequently change over time. In these cases, the size of the work and its description can be used to identify earlier references to the painting. Records of sale frequently do not survive. Many private collectors buy and sell works anonymously through third parties, such as dealers or auction houses, which may or may not disclose the owner's identity. From a commercial point of view, a painting with good provenance is worth more than one without, because it is less likely to be a forgery or by the work of imitator. However, provenance is not sufficient in itself to establish the authenticity of a painting especially if it is considered of value.

Click here for a guide to provenance for IFAR International Foundation for Art Research. http://www.ifar.org/provenance_guide.php

The most detailed list of provenances of Vermeer's work can be found in Vermeer (1976) ² with provenances by Willem van de Wetering, pp. 155–172.

In the present provenance, Vermeer's paintings have been listed in chronological order according to the criterion of the Essential Vermeer Interactive Catalogue. Names of art dealers are given in brackets.

• [Dirksen, The Hague, before 1866; sold to Goldsmid];
• Neville Davison Goldsmid, The Hague (1866–1875);
• his widow, Eliza Garey, The Hague and Paris (1875–1876);
• Goldsmid-sale, Paris, 4 May, 1876, no. 68 (purchased by
• Victor de Stuers on behalf of The Netherlands, for fl. 10,000
• as by Nicolaes Maes); 1876 to Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen
• Mauritshuis, The Hague (inv. 406).

• collection Abbot Family, Bristol, c. 1880; furniture and antiques dealer, Bristol, 1884, sold to a private party and bought back;
• Arthur Leslie Collie, London; [Forbes and Paterson, London, 1901, sold to Coats];
• William Allan Coats, Skelmorlie Castle, Dalskairth, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (1901–1926);
• his sons Thomas H. and J. A. Coats (1926–1927);
• 1927 donation by the Coats heirs to the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (inv. 1670).

• before 1737 Waldstein collection castle Dux (Duchcov) near Teplitz (Teplice, Czech Republic);
• acquired 1741 for the Elector of Saxony, August III;
• 1945–1955 in the Soviet Union (requisition of war);
• 1955 restituted to Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden (inv. 1335).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 8;
• probably sale, Amsterdam (V. Posthumus), 19 December, 1737, no. 47, sold to Carpi;
• [probably J.B.P. Lebrun, Paris, in 1811];
• Smeth van Alphen et al. sale, Paris (Lebrun), April 1811, no. 150, sold to Alexandre-Joseph Paillet, in 1811;
• John Waterloo Wilson, Paris (after 1873–1881;
• his sale, Paris, 13–16 March, 1881, no. 116, to Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1881, sold 1881 to Rodolphe Kann, Paris (d. 1905); his estate, 1905–1907;
• sold to Duveen, London, 1907–1908; sold 1908 to Benjamin Altman, New York (d. 1913);
• since 1913 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman (acc. no. 14.40.611).

• (?) Pieter van der Lip sale, 14 June, 1712, no. 22;
• April 1742 acquired by the Saxon secretary of embassy, de Brais in Paris for the Elector of Saxony, August III, as by Rembrandt;
• 1945–1955 in the Soviet Union (requisition of war);
• 1955 restituted to Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden (inv. 1336).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674); (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 11;
• Charles Scarisbrick sale, London (Christie's), 10 May, 1861, no. 89, as by De Hooch, to Lee Mainwaring, said to have been purchased in an unidentified London sale by Double;
• Léopold Double, Paris (Double sale, Paris [Pillet], 30 May, 1881, no. 16 to Gauchey for Demidoff);
• Prince Demidoff di San Donato, Villa di Pratolino, near Florence;
• Samuel S. Joseph, London (1891); Mrs Samuel S. Joseph (1900);
• [Knoedler, New York, 1911]; Henry Clay Frick, New York (d. 1911);
• The Frick Collection, New York (acc. no. 11.1.127).

• (?) Pieter Claesz van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674); (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695); Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 2;
• Isaac Rooleeuw, Amsterdam (1696–1701);
• Rooleeuw sale, Amsterdam, 20 April, 1701, no. 7;
• Jacob van Hoek, Amsterdam (1701–1719);
• Van Hoek sale, Amsterdam, 12 April, 1719, no. 20;
• Pieter Leendert de Neufville, Amsterdam (before 1759);
• Leendert Pieter de Neufville, Amsterdam (1759–1765);
• De Neufville sale, Amsterdam, 19 June, 1765, no. 65, to Yver;
• Dulong sale, Amsterdam (H. de Winter and J. Yver), 18 April, 1768, no. 10, to Van Diemen;
• Jan Jacob de Bruyn, Amsterdam (1781);
• De Bruyn sale, Amsterdam, 12 September, 1798, no. 32, to J. Spaan;
• Hendrik Muilman sale, Amsterdam, 12 April, 1813, no. 96, to J. de Vries for Van Winter;
• Lucretia Johanna van Winter (Six van Winter, after 1822), Amsterdam (1813–1845);
• Jonkheer Hendrik Six van Hillegom, Amsterdam (1845–1847);
• Jonkheers Jan Pieter Six van Hillegom and Pieter Six van Vromade, Amsterdam (1847–1899/1905); Six van Vromade heirs;
• purchased in 1908 by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. A2344).

• Pieter de Smeth van Alphen, Amsterdam (Van Alphen sale, 12 August, 1810, no. 57, to J. de Vries);
• Henry Croese et al. sale, Amsterdam, 18 September, 1811, no. 45, to Roos;
• Cornelis Sebille Roos (1811–1820); Roos sale, Amsterdam, 28 August, 1820, no. 64, to Brondgeest or to N.N.;
• Samuel Woodburn sale, London (Christie's), 24 June, 1853, no. 128, to Smith or directly to Gibson;
• Francis Gibson, Saffron Walden (d. 1858); his daughter, Mrs Lewis Fry, Clifton, near Bristol;
• [Lawrie & Co., London]; [Knoedler, New York, 1901];
• Henry Clay Frick, New York (1901-d. 1919);
• The Frick Collection, New York (acc. no. 11.1.125).

• Jan van Loon sale, Delft, 18 July, 1736, no. 16;
• John Hope, Amsterdam (1774-d. 1784); Hope heirs (until 1794);
• Henry Thomas Hope, Deepdene, Surrey (d. 1862);
• his daughter, Henrietta Adela (d. 1884);
• her son, Henry Francis Pelham-Clinton-Hope, London (until 1898);
• [Colnaghi and Asher Wertheimer, London];
• purchased in 1901 by the Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin (inv. 912c).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 32 or no. 33; Gerrit Willem van Oosten de Bruyn, Haarlem (before 1797);
• his widow, Haarlem (d. 1799), Van Oosten de Bruyn sale, Haarlem, 8 April, 1800, no. 7, to Van Winter;
• Pieter van Winter, Amsterdam (1800–1807);
• Lucretia Johanna van Winter, Amsterdam (1807–1845);
• Jonkheer Hendrik Six van Hillegom, Amsterdam (1845–1847);
• Jonkheers Jan Pieter Six van Hillegom and Pieter Six van Vromade, Amsterdam (1847–1905);
• Jonkheer Willem Six van Wimmenum, Amsterdam (1905–1919);
• Jonkheer Jan Six, Amsterdam and 's-Graveland (1919–1921);
• Six sale, Amsterdam 12 April, 1921, to Sir Henry Deterding; his gift in 1921 to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. A 2860).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 9;
• Anton Ulrich, Duke of Braunschweig [Brunswick], (before 1710);
• in 1714 to the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick (inv. 316).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681); (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695); Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 31;
• Willem Philip Kops, Haarlem and Bloemendaal (before 1805);
• Cornelia Kops-de Wolf, Bloemendaal (1805–1820);
• Anna Johanna Teding van Berkhout-Kops, Haarlem (1820–1822);
• S. J. Stinstra et al. sale, Amsterdam (J. de Vries), 22 May, 1822; no. 112, to J. de Vries;
• purchased by The Netherlands for the Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen Mauritshuis, The Hague (inv.92).

• (?) Pieter Claesz van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 6;
• Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, Amsterdam/The Hague (1718), Venice (1741);
• his widow, Angela Carriera, Venice (1741–1742);
• Joseph Smith, Venice and Mogliano (1742–1762);
• King Georg III, Windsor Castle, as by Frans van Mieris, (1762 acquired with the Smith Collection);
• since 1762 Royal Collection, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace (inv. 109).

• Philippus van der Schley and Daniel du Pré sale, Amsterdam (Roos, De Vries and Brondgeest), 22 December, 1817, no. 62, to Coclers;
• [Paris, before 1900;
• sold to Huntington];
• Collis P. Huntington, New York (until d.1900);
• his widow, Arabella D. Huntington;
• (from 1913) Mrs: Henry E. Huntington (1900-d.1924);
• their son, Archer Milton Huntington (1924-terminated in 1925);
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1900 (acc. no. 25.110.24).

• Robert Vernon, Cambridgeshire and London (1801?-d.1849);
• Vernon sale, London [Christie's] 21 April, 1877, no. 97, as by Metsu (to M. Colnaghi);
• [Colnaghi, London, 1877–1878;
• sold (as by Metsu) to Wingfield];
• Mervyn Wingfield, 71th Viscount Powerscourt, Ireland (1878-?87, as by Vermeer);
• [Agnew, London];
• [Bourgeois Frères, Paris];
• [Charles Pillet, Paris, 1887;
• to Marquand];
• Henry G. Marquand, New York (1887–1889);
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 (acc. no. 89.15.21).

• (?) Pieter van der Lip sale, 14 June, 1712, no. 22;
• Mozes de Chaves, Amsterdam (1759);
• De Chaves sale, Amsterdam, 30 November, 1772, no. 23;
• P. Lyonet sale, Amsterdam, 11 April, 1791, no. 181, to Fouquet;
• sale, Amsterdam (Ph. van der Schley), 14 August, 1793, no. 73;
• Herman ten Kate, Amsterdam (?1793–1800);
• Ten Kate sale, Amsterdam, 10 June, 1801, no. 118, to Taijs?;
• Lespinasse de Langeac sale, Paris (Paillet), 16 January, 1809, no. 85;
• Lapeyriè re sale, Paris, 19 April, 1825, no. 127, to Berthaud;
• [John Smith, London (after 1833–1839), sold to Van der Hoop];
• Adriaan van der Hoop, Amsterdam (1839–19–1854);
• Academy of Fine Arts, Amsterdam (1854–1885);
• city of Amsterdam, since 1885 on loan to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. C251)
.

• (?) Pieter Claesz van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 36;
• Johannes Caudri, Amsterdam (before 1809);
• Caudri sale, Amsterdam, 6 September, 1809, no. 42, (to Ths. Spaan);
• D. Teengs sale, Amsterdam, 24 April, 1811, no. 73 (to Gruyter);
• Sale, Amsterdam, 26 March, 1856, no. 93 (to Philip);
• Henry Grevedon, Paris (before 1860);
• Thoré-Bürger (Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré), Paris (c. 1860–1868);
• Thoré-Bürger et al. sale, Brussels, 22 April, 1868, no. 49 (to Sedelmeyer for Suermondt);
• Barthold Suermondt, Aachen (1868–1874);
• acquired in 1874 as part of the Suermondt collection by the Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (inv. 912B).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674); (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 1;
• Isaac Rooleeuw, Amsterdam (1696–1701); Rooleeuw sale, Amsterdam 20 April, 1701, no. 6;
• Paulo van Uchelen, Amsterdam (1701-d.1702);
• Paulo van Uchelen the Younger; Amsterdam (1703–1754);
• Anna Gertruijda van Uchelen, Amsterdam (1754-d.1766);
• Van Uchelen sale, Amsterdam, 18 March, 1767, no. 6, to Kok;
• Nicolaas Nieuhoff sale, Amsterdam, 14 April, 1777, no. 116, to Van den Boogaerd;
• Trochel et al. sale, Amsterdam, 11 May, 1801, no. 48, to Van der Schley;
• King Maximilian I Jozef, Nymphenburg (before 1825);
• King of Bavaria sale, Munich, 5 December, 1826, no. 101 [as by Metsu], to Caraman;
• Victor-Louis-Charles de Riquet, duc de Caraman, Paris (1826–1830);
• Caraman sale, Paris, 10 May, 1830, no. 68;
• Casimir Périer, Paris (1830–1832); Périer heirs, Paris (1832–-1848);
• Périer sale, London (Christie's), 5 May, 1848, no. 7, [bought in];
• Auguste Casimir Victor Laurent Périer, Paris (1848–1876);
• Jean Paul Pierre Casimir Périer, Paris (1876–1907);
• comtesse de Ségur-Périer, Paris (1907–1911);
• [Colnaghi, London, and Knoedler, New York, 1911];
• Peter A.B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Philadelphia (1911–1915);
• Joseph E. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Philadelphia (1915-d.1942);
• since 1942 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Widener bequest (acc. no. 1942.9.97).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, possibly no. 9;
• Johannes Lodewijk Strantwijk sale, Amsterdam, 10 May, 1780, no. 150 (to A. Delfos for the 'Heer van Vlaardingen', the following);
• Diederik van Leyden sale, Paris [Paillet], 5 November, 1804, no. 62 (to Paillet);
• Sale, London (Foster), 26 February, 1835, no. 127;
• Admiral Lysaght et al. sale, London [Christie's], 2 April, 1860, no. 49 (to Toothe);
• D[emidoff] sale, Paris, 1 April, 1869, no. 14, evidently to Thoré-Bürger;
• Thoré-Bürger (Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré), Paris (?1869-d.1869);
• Thoré-Bürger sale, Paris, 5 December, 1892, no. 31 (to Robert for Gardner);
• Isabella Stewart Gardner, Boston (1869-d.1924);
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (inv. P21W27).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 35;
• J. van Buren, The Hague;
• Van Buren sale, The Hague, 7 November, 1808, no. 22;
• Cornelis Jan Luchtmans, Rotterdam (1808–1816);
• Luchtmans sale, Rotterdam, 20 April, 1816, no. 90;
• F. Kamermans, Rotterdam, by 1819;
• Kamermans sale, Rotterdam, 3 October, 1825, no. 70 (to Lelie);
• Hendrik Reydon et al. sale, Amsterdam, 5 April, 1827, no. 26;
• François-Xavier, comte de Robiano, Brussels (1827–1837);
• De Robiano sale, Brussels, 1 May, 1837, no. 436 (to J. Héris for the following);
• Ludovic, comte de Robiano, Brussels (1837-d.1887);
• Heirs De Robiano, Brussels (1888–1906);
• [J. & A. Le Roy, Brussels, 1907];
• J. Pierpont Morgan, New York (1907-d.1913, from G.S. Hellman);
• his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr., New York (1913–1940);
• Sir Harry Oakes, Nassau, Bahamas (1940–1943);
• Lady Eunice Oakes, Nassau, Bahamas (1943–1946);
• [M. Knoedler & Co., New York, 1946];
• Horace Havemeyer, New York (1946–1956);
• his sons, Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., New York (1956–1962);
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer (acc. no. 1962.10.1).

• The artist's widow, Catharina Bolnes (1674–1676);
• transferred to her mother, Maria Thins (24 February, 1676);
• evidently sold at auction in Delft, 15 March, 1677;
• possibly Baron Gerard van Swieten, prefect of the Imperial Court Library, Vienna (d.1772);
• his son, Gottfried van Swieten (d.1803);
• his estate, as by Pieter de Hooch (1803–13, sold to Czernin);
• Count Johann Rudolf Czernin (1813–1834, as by De Hooch);
• by descent to Count Eugen Czernin (d.1955) and Jaromir Czernin (d.1966);
• Adolf Hitler (1940–1945);
• Munich Central Collecting Point (1945);
• transferred on 17 November, 1945 to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 38, 39 or 40 [tronien];
• Braams sale, The Hague, 1881 (day and month unknown), to Des Tombe;
• Arnoldus Andries des Tombe, The Hague (1881-d.1902);
• 1903 bequest of Arnoldus des Tombe to the Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen Mauritshuis, The Hague (inv. 670).

• (?) Pieter Claesz van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 38, 39 or 40 [tronien];
• La Fontaine sale, Paris, 10 December, 1822, no. 28;
• Louis Marie, Baron Atthalin, Colmar (1823–1856);
• Gaston, Baron Laurent-Atthalin, Limay, Seine-et-Oise (1856–1911);
• his widow, Baroness Laurent-Atthalin, Pairs (1911–1925);
• [Knoedler Galleries, London and New York, 1925];
• Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. (1925–1932);
• The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh (1932–1937);
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Andrew W. Mellon Collection (acc. no. 1937.1.53).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 7;
• sale, Amsterdam, 15 October, 1738, no. 12 (to Oortman);
• probably Van Helsleuter et al. sale, Paris (Paillet), 25 January, 1802, no. 106 (bought in);
• [Ch. Lebrun, Paris];
• sale, Paris (Paillet), 16 January, 1809, no. 34 (to Lebrun);
• Lebrun sale, Paris, 20 March, 1810, no. 143 (to Chevallier);
• sale, Paris (Paillet), 24 March, 1818, no. 48;
• Dufour, Marseilles (from 1819 or earlier);
• Duchesse de Berry sale, Paris, 4–6 April, 1837, no 76 (to Paillet);
• E. Secrétan sale, Paris, 1 July, 1889, no. 139 (to Sedelmeyer);
• A. Paulovstof, St. Petersburg;
• [Lawrie & Co., London]; [Sulley & Co., London, in 1905];
• James Simon, Berlin (?1906-at least 1914);
• [Knoedler, New York];
• Henry Clay Frick, New York (in 1919; d. 1919);
• The Frick Collection, New York (acc. no. 11.1.126).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 38, 39 or 40 [tronien];
• ?Van Son family, 's-Hertogenbosch;
• Jan Mahie van Boxtel en Liempde and his wife, Geertruida van Boxtel en Liempde(née Van Son, d. 1876), 's-Hertogenbosch;
• purchased by their daughter, Jacqueline Gertrude Marie de Grez-van Boxtel en Liempde, wife of Jonkheer Jan de Grez (d.1910), Brussels (1876–1911);
• [Jonas, Paris, 1911];
• August Janssen, Amsterdam [by 1919–1921];
• [Frederick Muller, Amsterdam, and Knoedler, New York, 1921–1923, sold to Widener];
• Joseph E. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Philadelphia (1923-d.1942);
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Widener Collection (acc. no. 1942.9.98).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 38, 39 or 40 [tronien];
• Jan Luchtmans, Rotterdam (in 1816);
• Luchtmans sale, Rotterdam, 20 April, 1816, no. 92;
• Auguste Marie Raymond, prince d'Arenberg, Brussels (by 1829-d.1833);
• Arenberg family, Brussels and Schloss Meppen, Germany (1833–1945);
• Engelbert-Marie, 9th duc d'Arenberg, Brussels, Schloss Meppen and Schloss Nordkirchen, Germany (1945-d.1949);
• his son, Engelbert-Charles, 10th duc d'Arenberg (1949–1955; sold through Germain Seligman to Wrightsman);
• Mr and Mrs Charles Wrightsman, New York (1955–1979);
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mr and Mrs Charles Wrightsman, in memory of Theodore Rousseau Jr., 1979 (acc. no. 1979.396.1).

• (?) Adriaen Paets I, Rotterdam (?1669-d.1686);
• (?) his son, Adriaen Paets II, Rotterdam (1686-d.1712);
• sale (Paets et al.?), Rotterdam, 27 April, 1713, no. 10 or 11, sold together;
• Hendrick Sorgh, Amsterdam (?1713-d.1720);
• Sorgh sale, Amsterdam, 28 March, 1720, no. 3 or 4, sold together;
• Govert Looten, Amsterdam (before d.1727);
• Looten sale, Amsterdam, 31 March, 1729, no. 6, sold together with pendant of the same no. Jacob Crammer Simonsz, Amsterdam (by d.1778);
• Crammer Simonsz sale, Amsterdam, 25 November, 1778, no. 18, sold together with pendant (to De Vries);
• Jean Etienne Fizeaux, Amsterdam (1778-d.1780);
• his widow, Amsterdam (1780-?1785);
• [Pieter Fouquet, Amsterdam, and Alexandre Joseph Paillet, Paris, 1784–1785];
• Jan Danser Nijman, Amsterdam (?before 1794-d.1796);
• Danser Nijman sale, Amsterdam, 16 August, 1797, no. 167, sold separately (to Gildemeester);
• Jan Gildemeester, Amsterdam (1797-d.1799);
• Gildemeester sale, Amsterdam, 11 June, 1800, no. 139 (to La Bouchère);
• Michael Bryan sale, ?London, 9 May, 1804, no. 145a;
• John Gibbons, near Birmingham (by 1820–1828 or later);
• sale, place unknown, 7 October, 1820, no. 31 (bought in);
• his brother?, William Gibbons, sale, London, 18 June, 1857, no. 52, as A Philosopher (to [Henry?] Tate);
• Léopold Double, sale, Paris, 30 May, 1881, no. 17 (to Gauchez);
• [Léon Gauchez, Paris; sold to Rothschild between 1881 and 1888];
• Alphonse de Rothschild, Paris (until d.1905);
• his son, Edouard de Rothschild, Paris (1905-d.1949);
• (between November 1940 and 1945 confiscated for Hitler's intended museum in Linz);
• his son, Guy de Rothschild (1949–19–1982);
• acquired in 1983 by the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. RF 1983–1928).

• (?) Adriaen Paets I, Rotterdam (?1669-d.1686);
• (?) his son, Adriaen Paets II, Rotterdam (1686-d.1712);
• sale (Paets et al.?), Rotterdam, 27 April, 1713, no. 10 or 11, sold together;
• Hendrick Sorgh, Amsterdam (?1713-d.1720);
• Sorgh sale, Amsterdam, 28 March, 1720, no. 3 or 4, sold together;
• Govert Looten, Amsterdam (before d.1727);
• Looten sale, Amsterdam, 31 March, 1729, no. 6, sold together with pendant of the same no. Jacob Crammer Simonsz, Amsterdam (by d.1778);
• Crammer Simonsz sale, Amsterdam, 25 November, 1778, no. 18, sold together with pendant (to De Vries);
• Jean Etienne Fizeaux, Amsterdam (1778-d.1780);
• his widow, Amsterdam (1780-?1785);
• [Pieter Fouquet, Amsterdam, and Alexandre Joseph Paillet, Paris, 1784–1785];
• Jan Danser Nijman, Amsterdam (?before 1794-d.1796);
• Danser Nijman sale, Amsterdam, 16 August, 1797, no. 168, sold separately (to Josi);
• [Christian Josi, Amsterdam and London];
• Arnoud de Lange, Amsterdam (?1797-d.1803);
• De Lange sale, Amsterdam, 12 December, 1803, no. 55 (to Coclers);
• Johann Goll van Franckenstein, Jr., Velzen and Amsterdam (before 1821);
• Pieter Hendrick Goll van Franckenstein, Amsterdam (before 1832);
• Goll van Franckenstein sale, Amsterdam, 1 July, 1833, no. 47 (to Nieuwenhuys);
• [Christian Johannes Nieuwenhuys, Brussels and London; sold to Dumont];
• Alexandre Dumont, Cambrai (before 1860–1866);
• Isaac Péreire, Paris, 1866 (sold via Thoré-Bürger from Dumont);
• Péreire brothers sale, Paris, 6 March, 1872, no. 132;
• ?Max Kann, Paris (?1872);
• [Sedelmeyer, Paris, c. 1875; sold to Demidoff];
• Prince Demidoff di San Donato, near Florence (before 1877–1880);
• Demidoff sale, San Donato, 15 March, 1880, no. 1124 (to Bösch?);
• Adolf Josef Bösch, Döbling, Vienna (?1880-d.1884);
• Bösch sale, Vienna, 28 April, 1885, no. 32 (to Ludwig Kohlbacher of the Frankfurter Kunstverein on behalf of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut);
• 26 May, 1885 to the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main (inv. 1149).

• Pieter van Lennep, Amsterdam (c.1810?-d.1850);
• his daughter, Margaretha Catharina van Lennep, Amsterdam (1850-d.1891;
• married Jan Messchert van Vollenhoven [d.1881] in 1850);
• J.F. van Lennep, Amsterdam (1892);
• Messchert van Vollenhoven/Van Engelenberg sale, Amsterdam, 29 March, 1892, no. 14 (to J. Ankersmit of the Vereniging Rembrandt);
• Vereniging Rembrandt, Amsterdam (1892–1893);
• purchased in January 1893 by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. A 1595).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681)(?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695); Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 12;
• Jacob Crammer Simonsz, Amsterdam (before d.1778);
• Crammer Simonsz sale, Amsterdam, 25 November, 1778, no. 17 (to Nijman);
• Jan Danser Nijman, Amsterdam (1778-before 1792);
• Jan Wubbels sale, Amsterdam, 16 July, 1792, no. 213 (to J. Spaan);
• Hendrik Muilman sale, Amsterdam, 12 April, 1813, no. 97 (to Coclers);
• A. L[apeyrière] sale, Paris, 14 April, 1817, no. 50 (to Coclers);
• Anne Willem Carel, Baron van Nagell van Ampsen sale, The Hague, 5 September, 1851, no. 40 (to Lamme);
• Dirk Vis Blokhuyzen, Rotterdam (?1851-d.1869); Vis Blokhuyzen sale, Paris, 1 April, 1870, no. 40 (to Gauchez);
• [Léon Gauchez, Paris, in 1870];
• [Féral, Paris, sold in 1870 to the Louvre];
• Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. M.I. 1448).

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695); Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 4;
• ?Jan Danser Nijman, Amsterdam (before 1794);
• Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston, London (1794-d.1802);
• his son, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, London and Broadlands, Hampshire (1802-d.1865);
• his stepson, William Francis Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple, Broadlands, Hampshire (1865-d.1888);
• his nephew, (Anthony) Evelyn Melbourne Ashley (in 1888, sold to Agnew);
• [Agnew, London, 1888–1889, sold to Guinness];
• Edward Cecil Guinness, (from 1919) Earl of Iveagh, London (1889-d.1927);
• The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House, London (inv. 88028841).

• The artist's widow, Catharina Bolnes (1675–1676);
• on 27 January, 1676, together with another painting as security for a dept to Van Buyten;
• Hendrick van Buyten, Delft (1676-d.1701);
• Josua van Belle, Rotterdam (before d.1710);
• his widow, Ida Catharina van der Meyden, Rotterdam (1710–1729);
• Van Belle sale, Rotterdam, 6 September, 1730, no. 92;
• Franco van Bleyswijck, Delft (d.1734);
• inherited by Catharina van der Burch (wife of Hendrick van Slingelandt), The Hague (1734–1761);
• Heirs Van Slingelandt, The Hague (1761);
• Maria Catharina van Slingelandt, The Hague (1761–1771), or Agatha van Slingelandt, The Hague (1761–1775);
• ?Barthout van Slingelandt, Dordrecht (1771–1798) or Willem Bentinck, The Hague (1775–1798);
• Viktor von Miller zu Aichholz, Vienna (before 1881, sold to Sedelmeyer);
• [Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, sold in 1881 to Secrétan];
• E. Secrétan, Paris (1881–1889);
• Secrétan sale, Paris, 1 July, 1889, no. 140 (to Boussod, Valadon & Co.);
• Collection Marinoni, Paris;
• [Kleinberger, Paris];
• Alfred Beit, London (c. 1895–1906);
• Sir Otto Beit, Baronet, London (1906–1930);
• Sir Alfred Beit, 2nd Baronet, London and (from 1952) Russborough, near Dublin (1930–1987, stolen in 1974 and 1986);
• he National Gallery of Ireland (bequeathed by Beit in 1987;
• the painting was recovered in 1993).

• (?) Diego Duarte, Antwerp (1682, sold before 1691), or (?) Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 37, or (?) Nicolaes van Assendelft, Delft (before 1692) and widow Van Assendelft, Delft (1711);
• (?) sale, Amsterdam, 1714, possibly no. 12;
• Jan Danser Nijman sale, Amsterdam, 16 August, 1797, no. 169 (to Bergh);
• (?) Edward Solly, Berlin and London, before 1844;
• Edward William Lake sale, London, 11 July, 1845, no. 5 (to Farrer);
• J.T. Thom sale, London, 2 May, 1855, no. 22 (to Grey);
• Thoré-Bürger (Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré), Paris (before 1866-d.1869);
• Paul Lacroix, Paris (1869–1884, inherited from Thoré-Bürger);
• widow Lacroix, Paris (1884–1892);
• Thoré-Bürger sale, Paris, 5 December, 1892, no. 20 (to Bourgeois Frères, Paris, and/or Lawrie & Co., London);
• purchased in 1892 by The National Gallery, London (inv. 1383).

• (?) Diego Duarte, Antwerp (1682, sold before 1691), or (?) Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, no. 37, or (?) Nicolaes van Assendelft, Delft (before 1692) and widow Van Assendelft, Delft (1711);
• (?) sale, Amsterdam, 1714, possibly no. 12;
• Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Schloß Weissenstein, Pommersfelden (c. 1714–1729);
• Count von Schönborn sale, Paris, 17ff. May 1867, no. 78 (to Thoré-Bürger);
• Thoré-Bürger (Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré), Paris (1867-d.1869);
• Paul Lacroix, Paris (1869–1884, inherited from Thoré-Bürger);
• widow Lacroix, Paris (1884–1892);
• Thoré-Bürger sale, Paris, 5 December, 1892, no. 32 (to Sedelmeyer);
• [Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1892–1893];
• [Lawrie & Co., London, 1893, from Sedelmeyer];
• [T. Humphry Ward, London, 1894];
• George Salting, London (before 1898-d.1910);
• The National Gallery, London, Salting Bequest, 1910 (inv. 2568).

• Herman Stoffels van Swoll, Amsterdam (before 1698);
• Van Swoll sale, Amsterdam, 22 April, 1699, no. 25;
• sale, Amsterdam 13 July, 1718, no. 8;
• sale, Amsterdam, 19 April, 1735, no. 11;
• [David Ietswaart, until 1749];
• Ietswaart sale, Amsterdam, 22 April, 1749, no. 152 (to Ravensberg);
• private collection, Austria (1824);
• Dimitri Shchukin, Moscow (1899, probably as by Eglon van der Neer);
• [Wächtler, Berlin, 1899, as by Eglon van der Neer, sold to Bredius];
• Abraham Bredius, The Hague (1899–19–1928, as by Vermeer, on loan to the Mauritshuis, The Hague, 1899–1923, The Hague, on loan to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1923–1928, sold to Kleinberger);
• [Kleinberger, Paris, 1928, sold to Friedsam];
• Michael Friedsam, New York (1928-d.1931);
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931 (acc. no. 32.100.18).

• Erna and Jacob Reder, New York, 1932 [Spencer Samuels & Company, New York, 1969–1987];
• Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection Foundation; 1987.

• (?) Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1674);
• (?) his widow, Maria de Knuijt, Delft (d. 1681);
• (?) their daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven, Delft (d. 1682);
• (?) her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius (d. 1695);
• Dissius sale, Amsterdam, 16 May, 1696, possibly no. 37;
• (?) Wessel Ryers sale, Amsterdam, 21 September, 1814, no. 93 (to Gruyter);
• Alfred Beit, London (1890s?, by 1904);
• his brother, Otto Beit (in 1906);
• his son, Alfred Beit, Blessington, Ireland (until 1960);
• [Marlborough Fine Art, London, in 1960];
• Baron Frédéric Rolin, Brussels (d. 2001), acquired in 1960, by descent to his heirs until 2004 (sale, Sotheby’s, London, 7 July 2004, no. 8 [to Steve Wynn]).
• Steve Wynn Collection, Las Vegas, 2004 [Otto Naumann Ltd., New York].
• Acquired by The Leiden Collection, in 2008.