Jan Josefsz. van Goyen

With Gallery J. & A. Le Roy, Brussels;
By whom sold in 1890 to Charles Tyson Yerkes, Chicago and after 1899, New York;
His deceased sale, New York, 5 April 1910, lot 29, for $1,550 to N. Glücksmann (as dated 1653);
With G. Wildenstein, Paris, London and New York, around 1955;
With Adolphe Stein, Paris;
With Julius Böhler, Munich, Spring 1967;
With Xaver Scheidwimmer, Munich, from whom acquired.

C. Hofstede de Groot, A catalogue raisonné..., vol. VIII, London 1927, pp. 189-90, cat. no. 744 (as dated 1653);
H.-U. Beck, Jan Van Goyen 1596-1656. Katalog der Gemälde, vol. II, Amsterdam 1973, p. 121, cat. no. 122, reproduced.

In overall very good condition. The panel is cradled and there is a horizontal join running the width of the panel around a quarter of the way from the top of the composition. The paint surface is clean and the varnish is clear and even, with the brushwork very well-preserved. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a fine line of careful retouching along the join and very few spot retouchings scattered in the sky, as well as retouching to a small curved scratch on the margin, centre right and to a couple of spots in the bank, lower centre. Offered in a dark ebonised Dutch-style frame in very good condition.
"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."

Hans-Ulrich Beck suggested that a painting in the Museum Ridder Smidt van Gelder in Antwerp, also a tondo, dated 1633, might be a pendant to this lot (Beck, 1973, p. 64, no. 123, reproduced).

Charles Yerkes (1837-1905) was a Philadelphia-born financier, who was largely responsible for the development of public transport systems in Chicago in the 1880s and 90s, where he controlled most of the street railway systems including the famous Loop, and from 1900 in London, where he electrified the District line and controlled what are now the District, Bakerloo, Northern and Piccadilly lines.  Sarah Tyson Halliwell advised him on his art purchases, most of which consisted of sculptures by Rodin and paintings of the Barbizon school and by French academicians such as Gérôme and Bouguereau: the present work seems to be rather a departure.