Judith Leyster, 1600/10 Haarlem – 1660 Heemstede, zugeschrieben

PORTRAIT OF A BOY WITH CAT Oil on canvas. Doubled. 80.5 x 63 cm. Unframed. The boy strongly depicted from below, seated on a wooden beam, in front of a semicircular brown niche in the background. He is sitting at an angle to the left, holding a black and white cat with brown eyes in his left arm and a piece of bread in his right hand. He has a light-colored complexion, slightly reddened cheeks, half-closed eyes and his mouth is open as he looks out of the picture, laughing. He is also wearing a light brown jacket, light brown trousers and a red cap on his head. The jacket is tied across his chest with brown ribbons. The painting could be a repetition of a painting by Judith Leyster, which is privately owned and known in the literature, but is described there as "Two Children with a Cat", with a girl depicted next to the boy on the left. In the present painting, the fact that the lower section with the blue trousers has been brought much further into the picture, which is missing in the known original, speaks in favor of the painting by the artist's hand. (14008930) (18)