Max Liebermann German, 1847-1935

Moderne Galerie Thannhauser, München, no. 4574
Paul Cassirer, Berlin, 1914
Sale Cologne (Lempertz), 4–7 May 1953, lot 256, illustration 24
Sale Cologne (Lempertz), 15–17 May 1956, lot 168, illustration 23 Bought at the above sale by the father of the present owner

E. Hancke, Max Liebermann. Sein Leben und seine Werke, 1914, p. 153 and 530 (erroneously listed as oil on canvas)
A. Gold, 'Max Liebermann – Berlin', Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, XXXIX (1916/17). , illustrated on p. 22
Richardson, 1991, II, p. 16, no. 22
K. Boskamp, Studien zum Frühwerk von Max Liebermann mit einem Katalog der Gemälde und Ölstudien 1866-1889, 1994, cat.no. 129
M. Eberle, Max Liebermann 1847–1935. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde und Ölstudien, I, 1995, p. 181, no. 1880/3

As pointed out by Eberle, two versions of the present composition exist. The other version, now in a private collection, Bern (Eberle, p. 174/6, no. 1879/24 ) is slightly smaller and differs only in the girl pushing the wagon in the foreground, wearing a hat. Both pictures are based on a study in oil, present location unknown (Eberle, no. 1877/8 ), which Liebermann made in the summer of  1877 in Zandvoort.

Both the study and the finished pictures are recorded in the worklist of the artist, which was published by E. Hancke in 1914. Hancke, however, erroneously dates the two pictures in the winter of 1878/79. They were actually painted a year later, in the winter of 1879/80, as becomes evident from the present picture which is clearly dated 1880, while the other version is dated 1879.

Liebermann frequently drew inspiration from Dutch sites. His first trip to the Netherlands dates from 1871, immediately followed by a stay of 8 weeks in the summer of 1872. He returned in 1877 for longer stay in the summer and spent much time in the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, copying the works of Frans Hals. At the same time he was working on oil studies, which he - when he was back in Munich - turned into finished paintings.