Acquired by the present owner circa 40 years ago.

The colours are darker and richer than the catalogue illustration suggests. The painting has recently been cleaned, relined and restored and is in overall good condition. There is a minor indent to the surface upper centre. The largest damage is a repaired L-shaped tear, 16 x 15 cm in length just above the heads of the women on the right hand side of the picture. There are two smaller repaired tears: a diagonal 9cm repair in the sky upper right and a 8 cm tear on the sleeve of the patriarch's extended arm. Apart from these other repairs are more local in character and are restricted to local retouchings in the sky at left, the head of the young boy below and around the head of the dog lower right. The central characters and all the details of figures and costume are very well preserved indeed. The restoration is well carried out and is largely invisible except for a passage between the heads of the women on the right where it has discoloured. The varnish is clear and even and apart from this the painting does not require any immediate intervention. Offered with a modern composite gilt frame in the Frenchstyle in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although securing an attribution for this canvas has proved difficult, scholars have been unanimous in praising the quality of execution.  Suggestions on authorship have included the history painter Jan de Bray, the little known Dutch artist Johannes van Swinderen and artists from the Pre-Rembrandtist set: Jan Tengnagel and from amongst his disciples, Jan Victors.

The artist's decision to depict a complex Old Testament narrative is typical of those around Rembrandt, however, there has also been much debate over exactly which story the artist has depicted.  Whilst some scholars have seen the subject as Joseph, Jacob and his Secondary Wives others have argued that the figure to the right of the bearded man is in fact male so this must be Abraham's departure from the Family of Lot, the only other example of the same subject being Jan Victors' painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (see W. Liedtke,  Dutch Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2007, vol. II, pp. 911-912, no. 209).  The identification of the subject is further hampered by the strong likelihood that the canvas was on⛎ce larger and has probably been cut on the right hand side.