Philips Wouwerman

Louis Michel van Loo (1707-1771);
His deceased sale, Paris, Chariot, 14-17 November 1772, for 2,000 Francs;
Chevalier Sébastien Erard;
His deceased sale, Paris, Lacoste Coutellier, 7-14 April 1832, lot 175, for 3005 Francs;
With John Smith, London, by whom sold in 1842 to
Baron Carl Mayer von Rothschild (1788-1855), Frankfurt;
His son Baron Mayer Carl von Rothschild, (1820-1886), Frankfurt;
His daughter, Emma von Rothschild, Lady Rothschild (1844-1934), London, wife of Nathan Mayer, 1st Lord Rothschild, at 148 Piccadilly, London from 1865;
Thence by descent to her son Victor Rothschild:
His (deceased) sale on the premises at 148 Piccadilly, London, Sotheby's, 19 April 1937, lot 21, for £850;
E.L. Paget (died 1949);
Sir Edward Cripps, 74 Fountain House, Park Lane, London;
By whose Executors sold, London, Christie's, 15 July 1955, lot 80, for 1,300 Guineas to Gooden & Fox;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 6 July 1990, lot 123;
Acquired then or shortly after by the late husband of the present owner.

J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné..., vol. I, London 1829, p. 232, no. 107;
J. Smith, Supplement..., London 1842, p. 225, no. 253;
C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné.., vol. II, London 1909, p. 339, no. 287 (and possibly p. 379, no. 433);
B. Schumacher, Philips Wouwerman, Doornspijk 2006, vol. I, p. 337, cat. no. A423, reproduced vol. II, colour plate 63, and fig. 394.

The following condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Structural Condition The canvas has been lined and this is ensuring an even and secure structural support. Paint Surface The paint surface has a degraded and uneven varnish layer and should respond well to surface cleaning and revarnishing. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a number of retouchings, the great majority of which are very thin lines infilling the craquelure pattern and the stretcher-bar lines. There would appear to be few retouchings on the figures or horses in the foreground. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and would benefit from surface cleaning and revarnishing to ensure a more even surface coating.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This gentle and sympathetically painted picture shows a variety of rustic activities: boys bathing in a river at the left, a couple of men feeding a pack-horse, and a lecherous fellow rubbing the shoulders of a maid who is milking a goat.  Others watch with amusement as we do at this scene of quotidian seduction. 

We are grateful to Dr. Birgit Schumacher for confirming that this is a beautiful example of Wouwerman's art of the beginning of his middle period, and was probably painted circa 1651-53. 

This picture has had a distinguished provenance since the second half of the 18th century, when, like so many paintings by Wouwerman, it was in France, where his work was much admired.  It was in the collection of the painter Louis Michel van Loo in Paris, until his sale in 1772, and subsequently passed to Sébastien Erard, who had a notable collection of Dutch pictures which included eight paintings by Wouwerman.

This is the picture listed by Smith as no. 107, and again in his Supplement as no. 253, and by Hofstede de Groot, as no. 287 (see under Literature).  We are grateful to Dr. Schumacher for confirming that it is not, as was previously thought, the picture listed by Hofstede de Groot as no. 433 ('Horsemen at an Inn. - Peasants with a grey horse halt at an inn', which was in the collection of E. de Rothschild, Paris, and which appeared at auction in Nice in 1949).

It was probably John Smith who brought the present picture to London, and then sold it to Baron Carl Mayer von Rothschild (Smith confusingly gives his name as Charles de Rothschild).  It stayed in the possession of the Rothschild family until the sale on the premises of the contents of 148 Piccadilly held by Sotheby's in 1937.  E.L. Paget was a collector of diverse tastes, and his deceased sale of important Italian maiolica, European ceramics, ivories, Limoges enamels, sculpture and Italian bronzes, was held at Sotheby's on 11 and 12 October 1949.  It is not known when he or his Executors sold the present picture. Sir Edward Cripps had a small collection of Venetian vedute and Dutch 17th-century pictures, including works by Hobbema, Isack van Ostade and Jan Steen.

We are most grateful to Michael Hall, for helping to establish the correct Rothschild provenance.