Old Master Drawings

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Lot 188
  • 188

Attributed to Aert Schouman

Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description

  • Aert Schouman
  • a hawking party at the edge of a wood, cows grazing nearby

  • Watercolor, within black ink framing lines;
    bears attribution in black chalk, verso: A. Schouman, also in black ink on the old mount: Artus (or Aart) Schouman B 1710 D 1792.

Condition

Unframed. The drawing appears to have once been attached to a backing sheet along the left-hand edge, and as a result there are now some small losses at the centre of that edge. There is some slight discoloration on the verso, but the recto appears to be unaffected.
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.

Catalogue Note

Aert Schouman painted many topographical and landscape works throughout his career: almost two hundred are mentioned in the auction catalogue of drawings in his estate, and a large number were sold during his lifetime.  The majority of the watercolours and drawings are now, however, in the collections of museums and archives.  In his monograph on Schouman, Laurens Bol notes that the City Archives of the artist's native Dordrecht own a total of 114 such works.1  Consequently, Schouman's watercolor landscapes appear on the market far less frequently than his birds or animals.

This view has not been identified, but is comparable with the group of watercolours Schouman executed in the 1740s of country houses and parkland, in particular the estate of Zuydwind and its surroundings near 's-Gravenzande.  In the present sheet ones sees the same 'atmosphere...of contented light-heartedness' and 'sober use of colour that limits itself to green- in all its many nuances'.2

1.  L.J. Bol, Aart Schouman, Ingenious Painter and Draughtsman, Doornspijk 1991, pp. 62-3

2. Op.cit., pp. 52-3, figs. 35-42