The existence of this particular painting was know as it was recorded in the inventory of Jan Miense Molenaer, the husband of Judith Leyster and was described in the inventory as "blompotje van Juffr. Molenaer" - "small flower pot by Ms. Molenaer" -. However until now no one was aware of the survival of the painting. The 17th century masterpiece is an important discovery as it is signed Judith Molenaer and dated 1654, which makes it one of the very few known works she produced after her marriage.

In the ’70 of the last century Mrs. Luck, bought the painting from an art dealer in Oostende in Belgium for the total amount of € 500,-. She was perfectly aware of the authenticity of the painting but was reluctant to announce its existence as she was afraid to lose her treasure.

Mrs. Lucks’ motivation to come-out with her long lost jewel was the fact that in 2010 the 400th birthday of the painter will be celebrated and exhibitions will be held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, USA and the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, The Netherlands. She is not planning on selling the painting yet, which was roughly estimated at a value of € 1 milion, but was very happy to lend it out to the Frans Hals Museum for a longer period of time.

Source: Kunstpedia.com