P. van Doncker, Brussels, 1798;
Gand van Saceghem, Ghent, by 1842;
Sale, Brussels, Le Roy, June 2, 1851, lot 82, for 17,600 francs to "Rothschild";
Théodore Patureau, Antwerp;
His sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, April 20-21, 1857, lot 46, for 6,300 francs;
Charles van Loo (his collector's seal affixed to the stretcher);
His sale, Paris, Leroy/Lameuville, May 25, 1881, for 10,000 francs;
Ephrussi Collection;
His sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Petit, May 22, 1911, lot 13, there purchased by de Montault;
The Vicomte de Curel, France;
His sales, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, May 3, 1918, and November 25, 1918, lot 55;
Anonymous sale, (Collection M***E***), Paris, Hôtel Drouot, June 12, 1926, lot 116;
Myran Eknayan;
By whom sold, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, June 21, 1931, lot 48, for 18,100 francs;
Anonymous sale, Stockholm, Bukowski, October 7-8, 1942, lot 94;
Private Collection;
Anonymous sale, Stockholm, Bukowski, May 27, 1998, lot 390, for $85,253;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheb𒆙y's, December 17, 1998, lot 37, unsold.  

J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters, London, vol. IX, supplement, p. 227, no. 258;
C. Hofstede de Groot,  Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters, vol. II, London 1909, p. 472, no. 695;
W. Maier-Preusker, 'Philips Wouwerman: Studies of the Paintings 'Travellers Waiting for a Ferry' from 1649 and 'Falconers Resting by a Ferry', in Bulletin vom Institut für Kunstdokumentation, Forschung und Begutachtung, Vienna and Berlin, 1998, vol. XVIII.
B. Schumacher, Philips Wouwerman: The Horse Painter of the Golden Age, Doornspijk 2006, vol. I, p. 255, cat. no. A212, vol. II, reproduced, color plate 27, plate 198 (as painted circa 1650). 

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 has been quite recently restored and should be hung as is. The canvas has been lined with a synthetic adhesive. The paint layer has been cleaned, varnished and retouched. The retouches have been sparingly applied and only seem to be visible under ultraviolet light in the water in the lower right, in a few very isolated spots in the sky and in a spot behind the rump of the brown horse and in the lower left corner. Other than this there appear to be no further retouches of note. This is a picture in well above average condition and should be noted as such.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Dr. Birgit Schumacher (see Literature) dates the present painting around 1650, and Professor Wolfgang Maier-Preusker (see Literature) dates the picture to 1649, suggesting that it was a pendant to the Landscape with Travellers Waiting for a Ferry, formerly in the collection of the Empress Catherine II of Russia at the Hermitage Palace, St. Petersburg, and sold New York, Christie's, Ja꧋nuary  31,1997, lot 70 ($200,000), which is signeꦦd and dated to the same year.

The time during which Wouwerman created the present lot marks a gradual departure from the influence of Pieter van Laer and the Haarlem peasant and military painters to a more truly autonomous style.  Themes of winter scenes, hunting parties, and peasant companies as well as illustrations of literary themes add to his already extant battle scenes, skirmishes, horse renderings, and landscapes.¹ His compositions also undergo significant change: the staffage is more thorough🔥ly integrated into its surroundings, and a lighter and more si🐎lvery tonality replaces his earth tones of the 1640s, along with the development of more variable landscapes. 

The present subject of falconry, for which the Dutch held a time-honored tradition, was p🍷romoted as an almost exclusively aristocratic endeavor. In reality, few were allowed to hunt, and it was not until just before the eighteenth century that people outside the courts could exercise the same right. 

1  B. Schumacher, Philips Wouwerman: The Horse Painter of the Golden Age, Doornspijk 2006, vol. 1, p. 60-65.