ATTRIBUTED TO PAULUS PIETERSZ. POTTER | Three cows in a pasture

oil on oak panel;

bears signature and date lower center left: 'p.Potter.f:1653'

Dr. Alfred Heppner, Berlin, 1929.

The panel is uncradled, flat and stable. The painting is under a slightly dirty and uneven varnish. Overall the paint surface has been well preserved and there is good retention of detail, with only some minor thinness in the foliage upper right. Under UV light: the old varnish fluoresces unevenly. There is some retouching along the outline of the back of the cow at center; on the legs and udder of the cow lying down at left; and on the side of the head of the cow at right. There appears to be some retouches in the sky, mostly at left side, but the old varnish makes it difficult to read. A few small retouches in foreground around parts of the signature. The painting can be hung as is, but might benefit from a light cleaning and fresh varnish. Offered in a plain brown wood frame with gilt inner edge.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

The seated cow on the left is very similar to the bull in Potter's 'Cattle in a meadow' of 1652, now in a private collection, New York.¹  

1. See A. Walsh, 'E. Buijsen, and B. Broos, Paulus Potter Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings', Zwolle 1994, pp. 138-9, reproduced p. 139.