Attributed to Adam Willaerts

Bernard Houthakker (L.1272),
his sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 17-18 November 1975, lot 177 (as Willem van de Velde the Elder);
bears unidentified collector's mark, verso (Letter B)

Fixed to mount at top edge. Has been folded vertically and diagonally. Some light foxing and surface dirt. Sold in a modern black wood frame.
"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."

The 1975 sale catalogue notes that Professor J.G. van Gelder proposed the former attribution to Van de Velde, but the handling seems looser than in the small number of known figure studies by the artist.  Adam Willaerts seems a more likely author.  Given the extreme rarity of Willaerts' drawings, direct comparisons are not easily found, but there are clear similarities in facial types and overall handling with a larger, compositional drawing that is signed with initials and dated 1623¹, and the artist was also extremely fond of motifs of fisherfolk displaying their wares by the shore and, more unusually, hunters on a beach.² 

1.  Sold, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 4 November 2003, lot 96 
2.  See the painting in Hamburg, Hunting Chamois on the Coast; Praise of Ships and the Sea, exhib. cat., Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, 1996-7, cat. 12