Philips Wouwerman

Dr. C.R. Rudolf,
his sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 6 June 1977, lot 94, to A. Stein;
Henry and June Weldon

Hinge mounted. There is some slight light brown staining throughout areas of the sheet and some small localised dark brown stains and surface dirt. The sheet is otherwise in good condition with the medium fresh throughout.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although many paintings by Wouwerman are known, his drawings are very rare; the most significant examples of his works to be found in public collections are the small but fine groups in the Teyler Museum, Haarlem, the British Museum, and the Fodor Collection at the Amsterdam Museum.  In the last twenty years, only one other significant drawing by the artist has appeared on the market, the superb Horse being schooled, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.¹ 

This lively depiction of a subject familiar from many of Wouwerman's paintings is not directly connected with any surviving painted work, and given that it is so prominently signed, it may well have been made as a finished work, for sale, rather than as a study for a painting.

As Frits Duparc pointed out in his recent essay on Wouwerman's drawings² (the only publication to date on this subject), the form of monogram seen here indicates that the drawing is not an early work, and probably dates from after 1646.

1.  Sold, London, Sotheby's, 4 July 2012, lot 91; Metropolitan Museum inv. no. 2013.144
2.  F. Duparc and Q. Buvelot, Philips Wouwerman (1619-1668), exhib. cat., Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alter Meister, and The Hague, Mauritshuis, 2009-10, pp. 38-41