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Lot Essay
Peter Wtewael was the eldest son of the Utrecht Mannerist painter Joachim Wtewael. He was the only child to follow in his father's footsteps as an artist, albeit briefly, between 1624 and 1630, producing a known corpus of five signed and about twenty attributed works. One explanation for this relatively small output can be found in an observation made by Joachim von Sandrart after his visit to Utrecht in 1626, which he later recorded in Teutsche Academy, published in 1675-1679: 'One of his [Joachim's] sons practiced this profession also, and came along far in it, and would have achieved great learning in this art, if he had remained active in it. For they have fallen love with the flax business and have made a fine fortune in it' (see A.W. Lowenthal, Joachim Wtewael and Dutch Mannerism, Groningen, 1986, p. 30, and see pp. 175-83 for paintings by Peter Wtewael).
For similarities in treatment, such as the hat, the pouch, and the way the shepherd's costume falls off his shoulder, see Wtewael's Shepherd with Bagpipes, in a private collection (see A. Lowenthal, ibid., no. D-12, pl. 174) and a similar mastiff is found in A Shepherdess and a Lamb, also in a private collection (see A. Lowenthal, ibid., no. D-13, pl. 175).
In the catalogue entry for this picture in the last sale stated above, Dr. Lowenthal is thanked for confirming the attribution to Wtewael from photos.
For similarities in treatment, such as the hat, the pouch, and the way the shepherd's costume falls off his shoulder, see Wtewael's Shepherd with Bagpipes, in a private collection (see A. Lowenthal, ibid., no. D-12, pl. 174) and a similar mastiff is found in A Shepherdess and a Lamb, also in a private collection (see A. Lowenthal, ibid., no. D-13, pl. 175).
In the catalogue entry for this picture in the last sale stated above, Dr. Lowenthal is thanked for confirming the attribution to Wtewael from photos.