How does Lamentation (Gerard David) elucidate its Provenance?
Both this and the companion Adoration may have been in a sale of the pictures of Frederick Benjamin King (a bankrupt sugar-refiner) at Christie's in London in June 1830, where Lot 82 was an Adoration described as by "J. de Maubeuge", that is to say Jan Gossaert, who was born in Maubeuge.  The Lamentation was merely described as "Flemish".  They fetched £4 and £4,12 shillings respectively, but different buyers are recorded. Both paintings have a pink paper label inscribed "King 157" pasted on their reverses.If they were separated at this point, they were reunited by 1831, when their certain history begins, in the collection of Karl Aders, a German merchant resident in London.  Both were auctioned again in August 1835 and bought by a Dr Willis, later passing to a surgeon, Joseph Henry Green, who lived in Monken Hadley, a little way north of London.  Both paintings were exhibited in the huge and important Art Treasures Exhibition, held in Manchester in 1857.  Green died in 1863 and his widow (Anne Eliza, d. 1879) bequeathed all the Dutch and Flemish paintings in the collection to the National Gallery, who received them in 1880.  No loans to outside exhibitions are recorded since (to 1998).
Jan Gossaert Christ Christie's Maubeuge Monken Hadley Art Treasures Exhibition, held in Manchester in 1857 National Gallery London