This painting was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1908, who wrote:
306. Man and Woman in an Arbour. To the right are a man and a woman in an arbour. He is seated, quietly smoking a pipe, which he holds in his right hand ; he wears red breeches, white gaiters, and light brown shoes. Before him, to the left, stands the woman, in a red jacket trimmed with fur; she has a glass in her left hand and a jug in her right, and seems to be about to drink his health. The house is not represented, and there is no vista. Dr. Bredius considers the picture genuine.
Formerly in the Sellar collection, London. Sale. D. Sellar, London, June 6, 1889, or March 17, 1894.
306a. A Lady and a Cavalier. With the landlord in the courtyard of an inn. 17 1/2 inches by 15 inches.
Sales. Sir Henry Meysey Thompson and others, in London, March 16, 1901, No. 82. Duke of Marl borough and others, London, May 14, 1904, No. 50.[1]
Hofstede de Groot discounts the presence of the third man (the landlord) entirely in his title. Perhaps the face was too dark to see, and that is why he assigned the number "306a" to the sales catalog entry, in case it was a separate picture.
Provenance
According to the MET's museum website, the provenance of the painting is as follows:
David P. Sellar, London (until 1894; sale, Christie's, London, March 17, 1894, no. 111, for £105 to A. Smith);
