J. Dintl, Vienna;
His sale, Vienna, Miethke, 23 November 1889, for 501 florins to Pösch;
Marquise d'Aoust, St. Léger, near Paris;
His anonymous sale ("Marquise de X"), Paris, Féral, 5 June 1924, lot 79, for 37,150 Francs to Kleinberger;
With F. Kleinberger, New York, 1925;
With C. Benedict, Berlin, 1933;
With Karl Haberstock, Berlin, 1934;
S. Buchenau, Niendorf;
Dr. Hans Wetzlar, Amsterdam, by 1956.

 

Bordeaux, Musées de Bordeaux, La Decouverture de la lumière des Primitifs aux Impressionistes, 1959, no. 119;
Laren, 1968-9, no. 25, reproduced plate 10.

W. Stechow, Salomon van Ruysdael, Berlin 1938, no. 560;
W. Stechow, Salomon van Ruysdael, 2nd revised ed., Berlin 1975, p. 156, no. 560;
Voorkeuren, 1985, p. 60, reproduced in colour p. 61.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel is in good condition with a reinforced horizontal join, along which there is slight movement. The paint layer is stable. The paint in the sky has been abraded, particularly the blues, allowing the pale ochre ground to show through and, as a consequence, has been strengthened quite considerably. Vulnerable glazes to the tower, the buildings and the trees, centre left, have been compromised and under Ultra-Violet light strengthening of these areas can be seen. Much of the foreground is in good condition, particularly the figures in the boat, right , and boats and figures in the mid ground which are in a well preserved original state. The varnish is discoloured and its removal would significantly improve the tonality. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame with some chips."
"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."

The Bijlhouwerstoren ('Axe-hewer's Tower') no longer stands, but used to form part of the southern ramparts of the city of Utrecht, and is recorded in drawings by Herman Saftleven and Anthonie Waterloo among others.  Ruysdael has taken the motif of the tower and set it in an imaginary riverside village.

Stechow dates this picture to the 1660s.  Its colour scheme, piled up clouds and placid subject matter are indeed typical of Ruysdael's work in the first half of that decade.

We are grateful to the heirs of Jacob and Rosa Oppenheimer, former owners of C. Benedict & Co, for their help in cataloging this lot.