George Mitchell Esq., Ardlui, Blackrock, Co. Dublin;
His deceased sale, London, Christie's, 20 July 1925, lot 171, for £9.9s to Vennese as "Pieter de Bloot";
Anony꧟mous sale, C🦹hristie's, Amsterdam, 2/3 December 1981, lot 55, as "Pieter Potter", where acquired by the present owner.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The panel is in good condition with a repaired and restored 8cm horizontal split from the left hand edge. The paint layer is stable but in some areas it is thin and has been abraded in the past allowing the wood grain to show through; there is restoration in these areas to reduce this, e.g. the foreground to the floor, some of the darker passages, the shadow to the leg of the standing figure right with the raised arm and the figure at the back in black. There are areas of the background which have also been compromised , particularly the more delicate scumbles and glazes, and these have likewise been augmented. There are passages where the paint is in good condition with some of the delicate details intact. A tonal improvement would be achieved if the discoloured varnish were removed."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

We are grateful to Fred Meijier of the RKD for proposing the attribution to Joachim van den Heuvel on the basis of photographs.