Provenance: Winkel & Magnussen auction 67, 1929 no. 88, as Jens Juel. A portrait of Sofie de Coninck, a relation to the sitter, with almost the exact same measurements (34×26), was also sold at this auction. Additionally, a portrait of Marie Henriette de Coninck, also with the same measurements, is listed in Ellen Poulsen, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of Jens Juel, no. 326.

The father of the portrayed, Frédéric de Coninck (1740–1811), was a merchant from the Netherlands who made a succesful career in Denmark. He married Marie de Coninck, née de Joncourt (1747–1821), the mother of the portrayed. Frédéric de Coninck became very wealthy, and built Næsseslottet as his private home near Furesø Lake on the ruins of the former manor house Dronninggård, which he had acquired in 1781.

Frédéric and Marie de Coninck, as well as some of their nine children, children-in-law and grandchildren, have all been portrayed by Jens Juel. It is therefore likely, that this portrait is also painted by him. The reason for the portrait being painted in profile, which was unusual for the artist, might be explained by the fact that it was painted posthumous, and that Juel might have been left with only a silhouette clip of the boy and the family’s description of him. Billy de Coninck died very young, at 14 years of age, which might explain why he hadn’t been portrayed whilst he was alive.