Flemish Charity. UPDATE: by follower of David Vinckboons

Millon, France, sells on 17 June 2016 a "Flemish School, ca. 1600" Charity estimated at 1,200 to 1,500 Euro.

It isn't the best-painted work, but I'm always interested in old paintings with text panels on them.

At the top, we see the following:

"Die vader en moeder laet mi (of mt?) verdriet
noot hebben gheen onderstant (?) en brede
maer hener  dominere alzoo men hier ziet
metter tyt sal hemhen(?) alzoo geschieden"

My amateur translation gives:
"The father and mother give me sorrow
they have need; no support or money
but they dominate as one can see here
in due time it will come to pass for them"

Not very clear, so I'm obviously misreading or mistranslating something here! "Noot" may be "Nooit" (never) or "Nood" (need), but that doesn't help a lot. To me, this verse sounds as if the parents don't have a lot, but spend as if they do anyway (e.g. their luxury clothing), which in due time will cost them dearly.

The bottom left says:
"Houders. Wy en moghen voorwaer niet geven
de kinderen costen den tyt is quaet
het doet ghenoech noot eor dat wy leven
en onderhouden oock onsen staet"

"Parents (? or Keepers?) We can not give
The children are costly, the times are bad
It does enough need before we live
and support our state"

Again, not really clear. "Houders" is keepers, "Ouders" is parents, so either this is addressed at the parents or at the officials of some (charitable?) institution. It sounds as if we (?) can't spare anything, as all their money goes to their children and to keep up their state (impoverished nobility?).

Finally, the bottom right (near the elder couple):
"Myn lieve kinderen, laet doch ghenietre (?)
ons houtheyt ors(?) ackhaerme(?) vanigoet(?)
het gene wy.v.ten hawelieke lieten
bezeurt deur ons vleesch en bloet"

"My sweet children, let's enjoy
our old days ? (poor us?) ? ?
whatever we gave you as a marriage gift (dowry)
harmed(?) by our flesh and blood".

The text, in some form of Dutch, seems to indicate that parents should not spend all their money on themselves, and.or the struggle between the generations; the oldest wanting their adult children to take care of them, like they did in the past: the current parents wanting to live their life despite the expensive children; and the children asking theur parents not to spend to much on themselves and to keep something for later. This corresponds with the position of the three texts: the first is about the parents, the second is about the children, and the thirs is about the grandparents.

Like I said, it isn't really clear to me, you'll need a specialist in Dutch 16th century texts to get something better here!

The texts seem to be placed over the painting (especially clear on the right side of the bottom left text): perhaps the text boxes have been enlarged after the painting was finished, or the texts have been added later. It may also be that the texts have been repainted in later times, e.g. "vanigoet" would make more sense as "vantgoet", "of the goods", now it seems to be a non-existant word.

The painting is in the style of the Franckens, but not good enough to be by them. Considering the clothing of the lady, I would date it at about 1620. It can be compared to the above portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger or the 1620 portrait by Jan Ravesteyn. The estimate is probably about right, although works with text usually fetch more money than similar ones without, as they are more interesting.

UPDATE: I found another painting with the same topic, and also with accompanying texts, at the RKD (where else?).  The above high quality image comes from the Rijksmuseum though, where this 1599 painting by Pieter Pietersz is kept. While obviously not by the same artist, it shows the same story, with the poor grandparents and the rich parents.

At the lower left (the poor grandparents side), we can read
"Doet ons bijstant / mijn sone want / Ick hebbe u gegeven / ons goet Contant / In uwer hant / Waer bij zullen wij leven"
"Support us / my son because / I gave you / our belongings cash / in your hand / whereby we would live"

 The upper right (the parents side) states:
"Och vaeder siet / Ick en hebbe niet / op mijnder trouwen / U te geuen ijet / Wat mijn gheschiet / Ick moet staet houwe[n]"
"Oh father look / I don't have / on my wedding day / to give you anything / what happens to me / I have to keep state"

So the same story, the grandparents have given all they had to their children (as dowry), but the children will not support them as they need all the money to keep up their "state", their position in society.

This painting led me to a few other works with the same subject, all Dutch and from ca. 1600-1620. Very close in style to the one for sale is the above, at the RKD described as "After David Vinckboons", and comparing the work for sale with other Vinckboons works clearly shows his influence. The work for sale is a lot simpler than the RKD example (from the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht).

A final example can be found in the British Royal Collections. It is anonymous and rather damaged (with the text becoming illisible). Still, of the four examples of paintings with this subject, it means that three have texts on it.

UPDATE: now for sale at anticstore, estimated at 6,800 Euro.