Follower of Jan Rombouts, 'Birth of the Virgin', about 1520

The picture belonged to Ralph Bernal (1783–1854), who ‘with some judgement but comparatively little expense’ had formed a very large collection of works of art. Much of it was sold after his death by Christie’s at Bernal’s house, 93 Eaton Square, London. The sale took place on 5–29 March and 17–30 April 1855; the pictures had been ‘selected ... for their illustration of costume’. NG 3650 was sold from the ‘Glass Room’ as lot 965 on the 8th day of the sale, 13 March 1855, and was bought for £7 15s. by ‘Anthony’, the dealer William Anthony (c. 1804–1870), born in Ireland but then residing at 1 Duke Street, Saint James’s, London. It passed to his nephew Edward Anthony (born in Kilkenny in about 1841), who for a brief period ran the business from the same address. On the cradle formerly on the reverse of NG 3650 was written in pencil: ‘Bought by/ G.P. Boyce/ of E. Anthony/ Jan[uar]y 8. 1872/ £12’. Boyce was the painter George Price Boyce (1826–1897), who lived at West House, Glebe Place, Chelsea. At the sale of his paintings at Christie’s in London on 1–3 July 1897, it was lot 287 and was sold for £39 18s. to Murray. It then belonged for a short time to Joseph Hirst (c. 1813–1900), JP, who came from Leeds but lived at Edendene, Wimbledon. His pictures were sold at Christie’s on 31 March 1900. This painting was lot 77, sold for £33 12s. to Flower. He was the well-known lawyer and collector Wickham Flower (1835–1904), who resided at Great Tangley Manor, Wonersh, Guildford, and 20 Embankment Gardens, Chelsea. His pictures were auctioned at Christie’s in London on 17 December 1904. NG 3650 was lot 49 and was sold for £78 15s. to A. Smith. It then passed into the possession of the politician and author Sir Henry Hoyle Howorth (1842–1923), London, who lent it to an exhibition in 1912 and presented it to the Gallery in 1922, through the National Art Collections Fund, in memory of his wife Katharine (née Brierly), who had died aged 74 on 1 May 1921.