COWS AND A BULL IN A LANDSCAPE NEAR A TREE AND A FENCE

THE ORIGINAL, ON PANEL, 48.5 X 37 CM, SIGNED AND DATED 1647, WAS SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S LONDON, 3 JULY 1996, LOT 11. IN THE 19TH CENTURY IT WAS IN THE COLLECTION OF JOHN WALTER, PROPRIETOR AND EDITOR OF THE TIMES NEWSPAPER. IT REMAINED IN THE WALTER FAMILY UNTIL 1942 AND WAS EXHIBITED IN THE CITY ART GALLERY MANCHESTER IN 1857. SINCE THE PRESENT COPY IS PAINTED ON A SOLID MAHOGANY PANEL, DATING FROM CIRCA 1830/60, IT WAS PROBABLY PAINTED EITHER IN MANCHESTER IN 1857 OR AT THE MANSION OF THE WALTER FAMILY AT BEAR WOOD NEAR WOKENHAM. IT WAS THERE THAT WAAGEN SAW IT IN 1856 DURING HIS PREPARATORY WORK FOR GALLERIES AND CABINETS OF ART IN GREAT BRITAIN, PUBLISHED IN 1857, AND DISCOVERED THE POWER OF POTTER'S CATTLE PAINTINGS. AS POINTED OUT BY E. BUIJSEN IN PAULUS POTTER, SCHILDERIJEN TEKENINGEN EN ETSEN, EXH. CAT. 1994, PP.78/9, THIS POWER IS DUE MAINLY TO THE CLOSE KNITTING OF THE CATTLE, RESULTING IN A COMPACT COMPOSITION, ECHOING THE ETCHING BY PIETER VAN LAER OF THREE OXEN, EXECUTED IN 1636. ALSO, POTTER EMPHASIZED THE INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER OF EACH ANIMAL IN THE PRESENT COMPOSITION. FOR THIS CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ANIMALS, POTTER WORKED FROM STUDIES WHICH HE HAD DRAWN FROM LIFE, AND, AS BUIJSEN HAS OBSERVED, THE HEAD IN THE BULL OF THE PRESENT LOT IS PROBABLY BASED ON THE SAME STUDY OF THAT IN POTTER'S MASTERPIECE THE BULL OF THE SAME YEAR IN THE MAURITSHUIS, THE HAGUE.