PIETER POTTER | Summer landscape with figures and grazing cattle

Richard Neall, Aldwick Bay, Sussex;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie’s, 29 November 1957, lot 44, for £270 to Duits;
With Duits Ltd., London, 1957;
From whom acquired by F.C. Butôt (1906–92), Sankt Gilgen, Austria, 1962;
His posthumous sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 16 November 1993, lot 31, for 96,600 Dutch Guilders, when acquired.

Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, Nederlandse Landschappen uit de zeventiende eeuw, 6 July – 2 September 1963, no. 100;
Salzburg, Museumpavillon im Mirabellgarten, 12 July – 12 September 1972; Münster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, 26 September 1972 – 14 January 1973, Niederländische Kunst aus dem Goldenen Jahrhundert;
Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Hollandse en Vlaamse Kunst uit de 17^e eeuw, 16 February – 1 April 1973; 
Munich, Sotheby’s, A selection of paintings and drawings from the Collection of F.C. Butôt, June 1989.

Niederländisches Kunst aus dem Goldenen Jahrhundert--Gemälde und Zeichnungen im Umkreis grosser Meister aus der Sammlung F.C. Butôt, exhib. cat., Salzburg 1972, pp. 104–05, reproduced;
Hollandse en Vlaamse kunst uit de 17e eeuw: hoogtepunten van minder bekende meesters: schilderijen en tekeningen uit de verzameling F.C. Butôt, exhib. cat., Rotterdam 1973, pp. 106–07, reproduced;
L.J. Bol, Holländische Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts nahe den grossen Meistern, Braunschweig 1973, p. 184, reproduced p. 185, fig. 177;
L.J. Bol & G. Keyes, Netherlandish Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of F.C. Butôt, London 1981, pp. 14, 108, cat. no. 37, reproduced in colour.

The single oak panel is uncradled, flat and stable. The paint surface is relatively dirty, and the varnish slightly discoloured and uneven. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals two campaigns of retouching: the older campaign consists of retouchings scattered in the sky, notably in the clouds upper centre; the more recent campaign consist of small spots and fine lines along the upper margin, in the sky centre right, along the lower left margin, and a spot in the mound just above this. In overall good condition.
"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."

Pieter Potter was the father of the more famous Paulus Potter. Born in the Zuider Zee port of Enkhuizen, he lived in Leiden from 1628–30 before settling in Amsterdam in 1631. This tonal landscape with its muted colours and low viewpoint reflects Potter's Leiden experience, but was probably painted later on in the 1630s.