Aert van der Neer

Count Henri Greffuhle (1848-1932), Paris, acquired in 1868 through François Nieuwenhuys for 215 Guineas; 
Thence by inheritance until sold by Order of the Comtesse Greffulhe and the Duc and Duchesse de Gramont, London, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, July 22, 1937, lot 73, for £1,000 to Rosenberg (London), for F. Sabin?;
Anonymous sale (`The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, July 6, 1990, lot 114;
With Klaus Edel, Cologne;
With Noortman Master Paintings, Maastricht, from whom acquired by the present owner in 2005.

F. Bachmann, Aert van der Neer, Bremen 1982, p. 135, plate 108, reproduced in color p.112;
Die Weltkunst, June 1990, vol. 60, p. 1759, reproduced in color;
W. Schulz, Aert van der Neer, Doornspijk 2002, p. 189, cat. no. 225, reproduced in color, plate 3, and ill. 30.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is in very good state. The panel has been cradled on the reverse. There are some old cracks in the panel which are slightly visible in the upper right, yet they are not moving or an indication of any instability. The varnish has sunk slightly and could be freshened. The paint layer has been cleaned and retouched. Retouches are mainly evident in the lighter colors of the sky and in the ice. They diminish a predictable amount of slight abrasion and texture from the wood. Even though there are hints of pentimenti around the figures in the ice, the retouching is very conservative and has been well applied throughout. We do not recommend any further retouching and the picture should be hung as is.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Two gentlemen are playing a game of kolf on a frozen canal that is bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. More people are to be seen on the ice. From the right a man enters the scene skating.  The wooden cottages of a farming village are bordering directly on the waterside. On the right, further into the distance, a view is provided on a plane of ice filled with people and framed with other buildings.

Aert van der Neer is generally known for two types of landscape views: winter landscapes and moonlit landscapes. Both genres were developed significantly by him and reached a high point in his oeuvre. In his early production van der Neer was much influenced by the landscape specialists Esaias van de Velde and the brothers Rafael and Jochem Camphuysen. With the latter two he collaborated and they may have been his instructors. During the 1640s he shaped his own landscape style focusing on a strong realism. His landscapes display a loose and virtuoso painting technique but with a distinct sense for details. The present picture is a masterpiece stemming from van der Neer's mature period. Wolfgang Schulz, in his recent catalogue raisonné (see literature), dates it to the early 1650s.  Van der Neer rarely dated his pictures which leaves us with many questions with regards to the precise chronology of his output. One of the most striking features of this winter scene is the powerful, almost magic, light. Two slender barren trees stand out against this glowing ochre. The areas around the branches show the bare ground of the picture. Van der Neer also used the ground layer to suggest the timber wood of the houses and he likewise left it almost untouched by the brush on the foreground where it assumes the appearance of sand and mud. Subtle accents of black and white are used to suggest depth and define details such as the tree trunk covered with snow. Van der Neer deliberately made the brown shimmer practically everywhere and the tonality of the colour scheme is totally dependent on it. With great facility Van der Neer used this palette to call up the atmosphere of cold and winter. In spite of his sketchy technique and application of paint in modest quantities, the picture appears remarkably finished.

The Greffulhe collection was one of great quality and renown, and its sale at Sotheby's in London in 1937 caused a sensation.  Upon the announcement of the sale, A.C.R. Carter trumpeted in the London Times that "France is to lose one of her most famous private collections of art treasures", noting with glee that "those well-known members of the French noblesse, the Comtesse de Greffulhe and the Duc and Duchesse de Gramont have decided to send to London their joint possessions - wonderful pictures, tapestries and objets d'art - for dispersal in the open market".  In fact, the Comtesse was a great Anglophile, and a friend of Edward VII, and their collection, housed in their chateau at Bois-Boudran and in the Rue d'Astorg, Paris, was formed under the guidance of the Comte d'Armaillé, who also helped their relative, Sir Richard Wallace, to form the Wallace collection during the same years.  The greatest treasures in the collection were French 18th Century paintings and drawings, including a sheet of studies by Watteau that fetched the astonishing price of £5,800.  There was also a small but choice assembly of Dutch 17th Century pictures, of which the most expensive was a Jan Steen which fetched £1,250, followed by  the present Van der Neer and a Paulus Potter at £1,000 each.  The sale, which realized £41,000, was a resounding success, and  was in other ways a foretaste of times to come - for example the family sat in a private room, the sale relayed to them by a microphone placed in front of the auctioneer.  At the close of the sale they "manifested much elation", as The Times put it.