Paulus Pietersz. Potter

Probably Sir Francis Cook (died 1901);
Sir Frederick Cook, his son, Doughty House (no. 144);
Richmond, Surrey, by 1912, thence by descent to his son;
Sir Herbert Cook, Bt., in the Long Gallery at Doughty House, under cat. no. 225, by 1932;
The Cook Collection Sale, London, Sotheby's, June 25, 1958, lot 106, for £400, to Cromwell;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, March 29, 1974, lot 88;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, May 16, 1996, lot 82.

Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Exhibition of Dutch Masterpieces, March-April 1956, cat.  no. 38.

C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. IV, 1912, p. 624, cat. no. 83 (as painted circa 1645);
Sir Herbert Cook (ed.), Catalogue of the Paintings at Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey and elsewhere in the Collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bt., vol. II, 1915, (entries by J.O. Kronig), p. 18, cat. no. 225, reproduced;
M.W. Brockwell (ed.), Abridged Catalogue of the Picture at Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey in the Collection of Sir Herbert Cook, Bart, 1932, p. 29, cat. no. 225.

The panel is flat, uncradled, and beveled on all four sides. The panel is made from two pieces of wood which were joined horizontally. The join runs along the center of the panel and there are very fine retouches made along the join. A very small loss to the panel is visible on the lower right corner. The paint quality is quite good here and there are no major areas of restoration. Scattered retouches are visible under UV on the upper back of the cow, as well as in the sky to the left. These retouches are rendered mostly invisible to the naked eye and seem to be applied well. In a carved and painted giltwood frame.
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.

The present picture is a signed panel painting by Potter, executed in the early stages of his career. The work comes from the Cook collection at Doughty House where it has been catalogued by Hofstede de Groot as an early work by the Dutch master. Potter's first dated picture of 1641 and those of the following year reflect the influence of his probable teacher, Nicolaes Moeyaert. This early work illustrates a key moment in Potter's career which sets the stage for the style that would secure his status as Holland's preeminent animal painter. The vast majority of Potter's oeuvre takes place in the Delft countryside, an area known well to the artist. Despite the urbanization of modern Holland, this type of landscape is still easily recognizable throughout the country.

The compositional type of this picture, with trees behind and to the right, and sloping away to the left, is found in his first etching, also from 1643 (Bartsch. No 14) and in another painting from the same year, the Landscape with Livestock and Milkmaid, in the Institut Néerlandais (inv. 5982). Here, a cow prominently stands in the foreground, its gaze just out of line with the viewer. Each strand of its black and white hair is clearly delineated. The freshness of the paint is apparent even today and the tactile quality is unmistakably apparent.