Jan van Kessel

Private Collection, Switzerland;
With Heinz Kisters, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland;
From whom acquired by Günter and Anne Liese Henle, Duisburg, Germany, 1963;
Their deceased sale (The Henle Collection Old Master Paintings), London, Sotheby's, 3 December 1997, lot 13;
There purchased by the present collector.

Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Die Sammlung Henle, 22 February - 5 April 1964, no. 7 (as Jan van de Cappelle).

H. Vey, with an introduction by G. von der Osten, Die Sammlung Henle, exhibition catalogue, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne 1964, no. 7, reproduced (as Jan van de Cappelle);
M. Russell, Jan van de Cappelle 1624/6-1679, Leigh-on-Sea 1975, p. 91, Addenda no. 25 (as by an unknown follower of Van de Cappelle);
M. Russell, "A Winter Landscape after Jan van de Cappelle," in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXXX, no. 1025, August 1988, p. 607, note 8;
A.I. Davies, Jan van Kessel, Doornspijk 1992, p. 192, no. 115, reproduced pl. 115. 

Relined and under a dull, old varnish. the paint surface has been very well preserved and there is nice, think impasto. an old repaired horizontal tear can be seen with naked eye in sky and part of tree branches at upper right, and an old crudely repaired puncture in sky and part of tree branch at middle left. Another small repaired tear in sky at upper center. UV light shows retouching to old repairs as mentioned above; otherwise there are just a few retouches in foreground. In an elaborately carved and gilt wood frame with minor nicks.
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.

Bearing the signature of Jan van de Cappelle, this painting had previously been attributed to that master until 1992 when Alice Davies identified it as the work of van Kessel (see Literature).  Davies linked the present composition to other dated winter scenes by van Kessel, specifically a Winter Scene formerly in the Stenman collection of Stockholm (Davies, op. cit., p. 195, no. 120, reproduced plate 120).  Having distinguished provenance, this painting was once part of both the Kisters and Henle collections.