May 10, 1824

This painting dates to about 1635 and is part of London's National Gallery collection.





The artist is. Judith Leyster, and I don't know where it got the title: "A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel". The painting dates to about 1635.

Regarding the painting itself the National Gallery says:

It has recently been suggested that this painting serves as a warning against foolish and mischievous behaviour. The boy has used the small eel to entice the cat into his grasp and then withholds the bait, while the girl teases the cat further by pulling its tail. Judging by its extended claws the cat is about to scratch the boy. The picture thus seems to allude to the Dutch saying: 'He who plays with cats gets scratched', meaning he who looks for trouble will get it. It was common in Dutch 17th-century painting to use children in order to point out the foolish behaviour of adults.

About the artist there is this:

Judith Jansdr. Leyster was born in Haarlem. At the outset of her career she was influenced by the Utrecht followers of Caravaggio. In about 1629 she was probably a pupil of Frans Hals. By 1633 Leyster was a member of the Haarlem guild. In 1636 she married thepainter Jan Molenaer (who was also probably a pupil of Frans Hals).
She worked in Amsterdam, Heemstede (where she died) and Haarlem. She was chiefly a genre painter.

The National Gallery has an interesting section on their website. They list all the paintings in their collection for which the provenance between 1933 and 1945 has gaps. Judith Leyster's "A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel," is on this list.

About the gaps in provenance which place the painting in this category, we read:

"A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel"
Bequeathed to the NG by C.F. Leach, 1943

Provenance

Auction, London, 8 July 1910;
Reynolds [Dealer], London;*
Mrs Holbrook, Burton-on-Trent;*
Her sale at Christie's, London, 17 February 1939; where bought by
Vicars;*
C.F. Leach, Surrey;

Questions 1933-1945

Confirm date and details of acquisition by Reynolds
Confirm date and details of acquisition by Holbrook
Date of disposal by Vicars
Date of acquisition by Leach

The National Gallery has publicized this list, and no one has laid claims to any of the items on the list. (as of 2008). The National Gallery was founded on May 10, 1824. There is regarding the dates 1933 to 1945 no gloss mentioning war, Nazis, looting, or Holocaust on the National Gallery website. Just the years and the term "provenance. "