The subject of this painting can be identified with some confidence by analogy with Pieter Pietersz. 'Poor Parents, Rich Children' of 1599 in the Rijksmuseum, which has legible inscriptions explaining the story. An elderly couple come to beg from their rich son explaining that they have given their savings to help him on his way; the son refuses on the grounds that he has his status to maintain. The inscription here is illegible but this scene might depict a similar episode with a scholarly father visiting his swaggering son. The moral of the story (famililar from 'King Lear' ) is for children not to be ungrateful and fathers not to be too generous.

Though a rich moral this is a poor painting, probably executed at the same date as Pietersz. (that is c. 1600).