Adriaen Brouwer (Oudenaarde 1605 - 1638 Antwerp) and Joos van Craesbeek (Neerlinter circa 1605 - 1654/61)

Right Hon. Henry Labouchere, Lord Taunton (1798-1869), Stoke Park, Over Stowey, and later Quantock Lodge, Bridgewater, Somerset;
A. Jansen collection, Amsterdam, circa 1924;
With J. Goudstikker, Amsterdam;
Collection of Catalina von Pannwitz, Berlin and Amsterdam.

W. Bode, Adriaen Brouwer: sein leben und seine weke, Berlin 1924, p. 128, reproduced no. 89 (as by Brouwer and figures possibly by Craesbeek);
M.J. Friedländer, Die Kunstsammlung von Pannwitz, Munich 1926, vol. I, pp. X, 7, no. 32, reproduced pl. XXIII (as by Adriaen Brouwer);
A.L.M., "Die Sammlung von Pannwitz," in Pantheon, I, May 1928, p. 260, reproduced p. 258 (as by Adriaen Brouwer);
F. Winker, Pantheon, XVII, May, 1936, p. 164 (as by Craesbeek);
G. Böhmer, Der Landschafter Adriaen Brouwer, Munich 1940, pp. 106-107, cat. no. 38, reproduced pl. 38 (as by Brouwer and figures possibly by Craesbeek);
H. Gerson and E.H. Ter Kuile, Art and Architecture in Belgium 1600 to 1800, Baltimore 1960, pp. 147, 194, note 12 (as figures by Craesbeek and landscape by Brouwer);
G. Knuttel, Adriaen Brouwer: The Master and his Work, The Hague 1962, pp. 159-161, 192 (as ascribed to Brouwer).
K. De Clippel, Joos van Craesbeeck , Turnhout, 2006, pp. 335 - 336, cat. no. D125 (as wrongly attributed to Joos van Craesbeeck)

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting on panel is made from two sections of oak joined horizontally running through the center. There are no reinforcements on the reverse and the panel is in excellent condition. The painting has been lightly cleaned and varnished, although it seems that it could still clean and little more if required. At present the painting seems to have no retouches and while this is highly unusual and a credit to the work, there are possibly a couple of spots in the white dress of the standing figure in the center, a few errant specks here and there and some slight unevenness to the darker colors, all of which would benefit from a small amount of retouching.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Although known for his rough and restless temperament, Brouwer was a much admired artist in his own lifetime.  Arnold Houbraken, writing some years later, had noted his rambunctious character in his biography of the artist, but summed up contemporary thought on the painter's considerable talents: "dat niemand zyns gelyk, in deze tydt en is (that none was his equal, at this time and age)".

Born in Oudenarde in the early 17^th century, Brouwer moved at a very young age to Haarlem. There he became a student of Frans Hals (1581/85 - 1666), along with the painter Adriaen van Ostade (1610 - 1685). In 1626 he was recorded in Amsterdam, as a witness in a case regarding paintings. The same year he was also noted as a member of the Haarlem Rederijkerkamer. Five years later he paid his fee for entering the Antwerp painter's guild, the first evidence that he had then returned to the Southern Netherlands. It is clear that he was regarded as a talented painter early on and his work was much in demand. Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640), himself, owned no less than sixteen paintings by Brouwer, whose influence can be clearly perceived in Rubens' later landscape paintings. He had considerable influence on other contemporary painters in Antwerp, including David Teniers the Younger (1610 - 1690) and his own pupil, Joos Van Craesbeek (1605/06 - 1660), with whom he is often confused. Brouwer died at the young age of 32 or 33 and left behind a relatively small corpus of paintings.

Because of his many imitators and because signed pictures are rare, the contours of Brouwer's output have been somewhat difficult to define.  This has been the case with this charming panel, which through its history has been attributed to Brouwer, to Craesbeeck and sometimes as a collaboration to both painters.  The last of these options seems to be the correct assesment, with the landscape by Brouwer and the figures by Craesbeek.  Even though Brouwer is best known for his tavern scenes, he excelled equally at painting landscapes. This panel demonstrates Brouwer's spontaneous and sure use of the brush. The paint layer is rather thinly applied, but Brouwer, with economy of means, manages to create a characteristically moody landscape. The execution of this painting is very comparable to a late landscape by Brouwer in the Louvre (inv. R. F. 2559) which also shows a similar coloring and a fast, facile, handling of the brush, which is almost pointillist in passages.

A note on the provenance
The Pannwitz collection was assembled mainly through tireless efforts of Dr. Walter von Pannwitz. It was an incredibly diverse assemblage, housed for many years in the Hartecamp villa near Bennenbroek, Netherlands. Pannwitz had and acute sense for discovering works of art which had escaped previous notice and an incredibly eclectic taste. This resulted in the acquisition of great works by van de Cappelle, Van Goyen, Hobbema, Hals, van der Heyden and Rembrandt, as well as important German goldwork, first rate Italian Renaissance and French 18^th furniture. Among the sculpture collection, Pannwitz counted four magnificent pieces by Riccio, a Holy Virgin by Riemenschneider and a marble relief of a Madonna by Vecchietta, as well as an incredible collection of old Chinese porcelains.       

We are grateful to Dr. Konrad Renger for confirming the attribution based on photographs.