Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 1, 1908.djvu/563

iv PIETER DE HOOCH 539 door at the end of the room shows another room in which is a single figure. " This is a luminous and excellently painted picture " (Sm.). Canvas, 26 inches by 22 inches. In the collection of John Lucy, Charlecote Park, in 1833 (Sm.). 231. A Lady writing a Letter. Sm. 64. At a table near the middle of a large room, brilliantly lighted from two windows, sits a lady writing. Another lady stands near with her back to the spectator. The walls are hung with pictures, and various articles of furniture stand about the room. " A beautiful example " (Sm.). Canvas, about 23 inches by 28 inches. In private hands in Amsterdam, in 1833 (Sm.). 232. Grace before Meat.- A peasant family is saying grace over the food which is placed on the table. By P. de Hooch, or in his manner. Panel, ii inches by i6| inches. Sale. Van Rotterdam, Ghent, July 6, 1835, No. 171. 233. A Young- Woman writing a Letter. A young Dutch woman in a grey morning dress trimmed with yellow fur is writing a letter at a table with a rich cloth upon it. Beside her stands a maid- servant in red, holding a basket in the one hand, and motioning to her with the other to warn her of the approach of her husband, who is seen through the .open door. Another open door affords a view over the country, and lets in the sunlight which illumines the floor. Canvas, 20 inches by 24^ inches. Described by Ch. Blanc, Le Tre'sor de la Curiosite, ii. 413-14. Sale. Henry, Paris, 1836 (1150 francs). 233*. Lady and Gentleman at a Table. At a table in a hall, paved with marble squares and adorned with pictures, sit a lady and gentleman with a child beside them. A servant-girl enters by a half- opened door, with a chaplet of flowers in her hand. By P. de Hooch, or in his manner. Canvas. Sale. Leyden, July 21, 1841, No. 40. 234. Gentleman at a Table reading aloud to a Lady. A gentleman in black sits at a table reading aloud to a lady seated beside him. She seems to follow the reading so attentively that she lets her needlework lie on her lap. Canvas, 27 inches by 23 inches. Ascribed to Vermeer of Delft in a manuscript note in the Bredius copy of the sale catalogue. Sale. Brun of Geneva, Paris, November 30, 1841, No. 19. 235. A Family-Party in an Interior. Sm. Suppl. 21. This is a composition of five figures. A gentleman, dressed in black with a large hat, sits looking at a child who stands before him. Behind this child the mother, elegantly attired, sits at a table, holding a wine-glass, and watching