Lot 7 Dα

The present work is by a successor to the Dordrecht painter Ferdinand Bol, who worked for a time at Rembrandt's studio in Amsterdam. It is possibly a copy of a painting by this master which can no longer be traced. The depiction is comparable to Bol's "Scholar at his Desk with Globe and Books", which is kept in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
The painting has been in the family of the current owner since at least 1823, as shown by a handwritten list of paintings which was made upon the death of the owner at that time. Here, the painting is listed as being a work by Govert Flinck, who was also a student of Rembrandt.
We would like to thank Michiel Franken (RKD, The Hague), Fred Meijer (RKD, The Hague) and Tom van der Molen (Codart, The Hague) for their help in identifying this work.
Prof. Wolfgang Schulz, Berlin, attributes the painting to Abraham van Dijck.