Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings Dated and inscribed (center right): Ætatis 66 / ANo 1641
Notes The picture is in good condition; the face, hands, and book are well preserved. The background is thin, and considerably retouched. There are also numerous retouches in the costume and along the vertical joins of the three boards that make up the panel.
Provenance ?T. H. Ward (until 1899; as "Man's Portrait," by Bol; sold to Agnew); ?[Agnew, London, 1899; sold to Fischhof]; ?[Eugène Fischhof, Paris, from 1899]; Achillito Chiesa, Milan (until 1925; sale, American Art Association, New York, November 27, 1925, no. 18, as by Ferdinand Bol, for $2,900 to Bye); Dr. L. Bye (from 1925); Roland L. Taylor, Philadelphia (until d. 1943; his estate sale, Parke-Bernet, New York, April 5, 1944, no. 25, as by Ferdinand Bol, for $1,300); Mr. and Mrs. Jack Linsky, New York (1944–his d. 1980); The Jack and Belle Linsky Foundation, New York (1980–82)
Exhibition History New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 18, 2007–January 6, 2008, no catalogue.
References Albert Blankert. Ferdinand Bol (1616–1680): Rembrandt's Pupil . Doornspijk, The Netherlands, 1982, p. 180, no. R 168, titles the picture "Old Man Studying a Botanical Book," and gives the artist as David Bailly, crediting the attribution to S. J. Gudlaugsson's undated note in the photographic file of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague.Letter to Walter Liedtke . September 1, 1983, writes that he is certain it is not by Bailly, and also rejects attributions to Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp, Jacob Willemsz. Delff II, Hendrick van Vliet, and Bol; does believe it to be a work of the Delft school.in The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art . New York, 1984, pp. 84–86, no. 29, ill., supports the attribution to Bailly.Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art . New York, 2007, vol. 1, pp. 15–18, no. 3, colorpl. 3, as Attributed to David Bailly; states that he "still considers Bailly's authorship likely".Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 65 (Summer 2007), pp. 62, 66, fig. 75 (color, MMA Linsky gallery photograph).
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