Arent Arentsz. called Cabel

D. A. Hoogendijk, Amsterdam, 1928;
Dr. A.E. Bye, Philidelphia;
J.C.H. Heldring, Oosterbeek, by 1938;
His deceased sale, London, Sotheby's, 27 March 1963, lot 2, for £5,500 to Hallsborough Gallery;
Acquired in 1963 by Gunter and Anneliese Henle, Wilhelmshohe, Duisburg;
Their deceased sale, London, Sotheby's, 3 December 1997, lot 17;
With Robert Noortman, Maastricht, from whom acquired by the present collector.

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans, Meesterwerken uit Vier Eeuwen, 1938, no. 51, reproduced in the plates volume, fig. 52;
Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Het Nederlands Zee- en Riviergezicht in de XVIIe eeuw, December 1945 - January 1946, no. 3;
Arnhem, Gemeentemuseum, 17^e Eeuwse Kunst uit Gelders bezit, July - August 1953, no. 12;
Zürich, Kunsthaus, Holländer des 17. Jahrhunderts, November - December 1953, no. 3;
Rome, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, 4 January - 14 February 1954; Milan, Palazzo Reale, 25 February - 25 April 1954, Mostra di Pittura Olandese del Seicento, 1954, no. 2;
Rotterdam, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Kunstschatten uit Nederlandse Verzamelingen, 19 June - 25 September 1955, no. 36;
Arnhem, Gemeentemuseum, Collectie J.C.H. Heldring: te Oosterbeek, April - June 1958, no. 1;
Utrecht, Centraal Museum, Collectie J.C.H. Heldring: te Oosterbeek, 25 May - 24 July 1960, no. 1;
Breda, De Beyerd, Ghent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Het Landschap in de Nederlanden 1550-1630. Van Brueghel tot Rubens en Hercules Seghers, December 1960 - February 1961, no. 2;
Cologne,  Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Die Sammlung Henle, 22 February - 5 April 1964, no. 1.

Reproduced in Historia, July 1938, fig. 5;
H. Gerson, De Schoonheid van ons land. Van Geertgen tot Frans Hals, 1950, vol. I, p. 47, reproduced fig. 28;
Holländer des 17. Jahrhunderts, exhibition catalogue, Zürich, Kunsthaus, November - December 1953, cat. no. 3, reproduced on the cover;
L. Salerno, in Mostra di Pittura Olandese del Seicento, exhibition catalogue, Rome, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, 4 January - 14 February 1954; Milan, Palazzo Reale, 25 February - 25 April 1954, cat. no. 2;
D. Hannema, Catalogue Raisonné of the Pictures in the Collection of the J.C.H. Heldring, Rotterdam 1955, pp. 9-10, no. 1, reproduced plate 9;
Kunstschatten uit Nederlandse Verzamelingen, exhibition catalogue, Rotterdam, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, 19 June - 25 September 1955, cat. no. 36, reproduced plate 42;
Collectie J.C.H. Heldring: te Oosterbeek, exhibition catalogue, Arnhem, Gemeentemuseum, April - June 1958; Utrecht, Centraal Museum, 25 May - 24 July 1960, cat. no. 1, reproduced plate 12;
H.E. van Gelder, Holland by Dutch Artists, 1959, pp. 11 and 28, reproduced plate 12;
Het Landschap in de Nederlanden 1550-1630. Van Brueghel tot Rubens en Hercules Seghers, exhibition catalogue, Breda, De Beyerd, Ghent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, December 1960 - February 1961, cat. no. 2, reproduced;
H. Vey, Die Sammlung Henle, exhibition catalogue, Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, 22 February - 5 April 1964, cat. no. 1, reproduced;
B. Haak, Hollandse schilders in de Gouden Eeuw, Zwolle 1984, p. 199, reproduced plate 412.

The following condition report is provided by Rebecca Gregg, who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. The original panel has been cradled, where additional batons have been attached to the reverse of the panel. The vertical members, which should move to allow the panel some flexibility, are mostly loose enough to allow movement, however three are stiff and require minor adjustment. The original panel has a very slight convex curve. It appears that the upper panel join has re-opened and been repaired during the painting’s history. The paint layers are in reasonable condition, there is a small vertical mechanical damage on the left side beside the small group of figures and a small series of dots located on the picnic basket of the figures on the right. There is over-paint present along the repaired panel join. There is an extensive campaign of retouching present, this does appear somewhat excessive as viewed under ultra violet examination. There is also evidence of a secondary campaign above the varnish layer. There is the remains of a discoloured varnish layer, this fluoresces strongly in ultra violet examination. This layer has been selectively removed from some areas of the composition, the older layer of varnish is predominantly present across the darker elements of the composition and the lower part of the composition. A relatively recent varnish layer has been applied on top there does not appear to be any significant layer of surface dirt. The painting was examined in the frame.
"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 influenced by Hendrick Avercamp, Arent Arentsz. called Cabel most likely remained in his native Amsterdam all his life, using the watery landscapes of the polders nearby as a constant source of inspiration for his many landscapes, most of which are painted on elongated panels, as here. Much of Cabel's work consists of pictures of broadly similar compositional types, subject matter and palette, making his work easily recognizable. His figures are always busy, here hoisting the sails of a small river fishing boat for instance, or preparing to come on board, and many paintings have resting peasants picnicking in the foreground, as can be seen here. Although his figures are plumper and squatter than the more elegant figures in Avercamp's paintings, they do give us a sense of realism and are well and directly observed. This is one of Cabel's great qualities; his immediately appealing simplicity. Although presumably not a specific view, one can identify the polder landscape of North Holland, which can still be appreciated today only a few miles north of Amsterdam.

When published by Hannema (see Literature) this painting was entitled Summer, but it is unlikely to represent any of the seasons. A few fine winter scenes are known by him, such as the one in the Amsterdam Museum, representing The IJ in winter with Amsterdam in the background (inv. no. SA 36939), but mainly he seems to have focused on the polder view in summer.  The present painting is very similar to a painting, unusually on copper, which was sold Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 15 November 2005, lot 9, for € 86.400.

Arent Arentsz. was nicknamed Cabel after the name of his birth house on the Amsterdam Zeedijk, which was called 'In de Kabel'. Later he gave the house which he built on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, the same name.