In 1650 this picture was sold to Robert Houghton for £3, a small price reflecting the relatively low status of Dutch paintings at the time. It is a visual conceit designed to trick the eye. While the lead partitions of the window are in sharp focus, the features of the boy are slightly blurred, suggesting we are seeing him through panes of glass.

Collection of Henry, Prince of Wales, inherited by Charles I, sold to Robert Houghton in 1650, returned to the Crown at the Restoration.

Cat. 128