Lot 95: The Letter

Follower of Gerard Ter Borch II The Letter with monogram and date 'G T 1660' (centre, on the letter) oil on canvas 26 5/8 x 20 ¾ in. (68 x 53 cm.)

68 x 53 cm.

Gazette des Beaux Arts, 1877, XV, p. 166, engraved illustration. J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné, etc., IV, London, 1833, no. 59, as 'Gerard Terburg'. C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts, nach dem Muster von John Smith's Catalogue Raisonné, V, Esslingen, 1912, no. 174, identical with no. 183. S. Gudlaugsson, Katalog der Gemälde Gerard Ter Borchs sowie biographisches Material, The Hague, 1960, pp. 118-119, no. 110n, pl. XII, fig. 3, as 'Caspar Netscher'.

Anonymous sale; J. Palthe, Leiden, 20 March 1770, lot 9, as 'Gerard Terborch' (66 fl. to Janssen on behalf of the following) Dr. Tak, Leiden. Paulus van Spijk, Leiden; his sale (†), Reyers Coclers, Leiden, 23 April 1781, lot 102, as 'Gerard Terborch, doek, op panel geplakt' (125 fl.). Anonymous sale [Jan van der Maas (†) or Mrs. Paulus van Spijk]; Laurens Constant, Rotterdam, 30 June 1783, lot 136, as 'Gerard Terborch' (34 fl. to Brouw). Gerrit Muller, Amsterdam; his sale (†), de Vries, Roos, et. al., Amsterdam, 2 April 1827, and the following days, lot 68, as 'Gerard Terborch' (1,100 fl. to Nieuwenhuys). (Possibly) Anonymous sale; de Vries, Roos, et. al., Amsterdam, 1 April 1833, lot 172, as 'Gerard Terborch' (unsold). Christianus Johannes Nieuwenhuys; his sale, Christie's, London, 10 May 1833, lot 58, as 'Gerard Terborch' (121 gns. to Dunford). with Nieuwenhuys, London and Paris, where acquired in 1873 by the following, Comte Greffulhe, Paris; Sotheby's, London, 22 July 1937, lot 97, as 'Gerard Terborch'. with D. and N. Katz, Dieren, 1939, and Basel, 1948. Sammlung Dr. H. Smidt v. Gelder. Galerie M. Schulthess, Basel, 1952, where acquired by the grandfather of the present owner.

A young, graceful lady stands with her back towards the viewer in a sparse but elegant interior. She wears a magnificent satin gown with a luxurious black collar. Light falls onto the pale flawless skin of the back of her neck. Her blond hair is tied up with a black ribbon at the back of her head and golden locks fall beside her face. She reads a letter, delivered by a young messenger who stands absent minded behind a stool and clutches his hat. The table beside the lady is covered by a thick carpet with an abundant pattern, which forms a stark contrast to the soft and light silk of the lady’s dress. The mirror on the table has a richly decorated frame, with putti on all four corners. A chain comes from behind the mirror and falls over the edge of the table. Beside the mirror stand an oval-shaped silver box with an intricate motif and candlestick with an askew candle.    This composition relates to two paintings called The Paternal Admonition by Gerard ter Borch, now in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. The artist of our painting was clearly inspired by the emotional tension and psychological sensitivity that ter Borch so cleverly evokes within his compositions. What is written in the letter the lady so intently reads? How long has she waited to receive this letter? Are the contents positive or negative? As is typical in ter Borch’s oeuvre, the present lot is open to numerous interpretations.   Ter Borch is known to have repeated compositions on several occasions, presumably when they had proven to be a commercial success. The present lot is clear evidence of the popularity of ter Borch’s motifs. Interestingly, Samuel van Hoogstraten’s picture View of an Interior or The Slippers, (Paris, Louvre) shows a work very close to the present on the back wall of his interior.