Probably anonymous sale, Paris, Basan, 23 February 1778, lot 47 (to Dubois);
Probably Francois-Pascal Haudry;
Probably his sale, Orléans, Imprimerie de Rouzeau-Montaut, 1800, lot 27;
Probably anonymous sale, Paris, Roux, 12 May 1819, lot 50.

Probably E. Schavemaker, Eglon van der Neer, Doornspijk 2010, p. 530, cat. no. C75 (in section of works known only by description). 

The copper support is flat and stable. The paint layer is stable and the images reads beautifully and crisply beneath a clear varnish. Details are well preserved in areas throughout, for example, in the figure's costume as well as foliage in the lower right foreground. Inspection under UV reveals a varnish that flouresces rather unevenly throughout. Strokes of fine retouching are visible in the lute, one spot in the upper right tree, and some strokes to address to the edges of the leaves at upper left. There are a few small spots of retouching scattered in the figure and some scattered spots in shadows of foliage and background. Painting can hang as is in its present condition. Offered in a simply carved dark-wood frame.
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.

Long known only through description, this lovely signed copper depicting a woman playing music in a landscape is a late work by Eglon Hendrick van der Neer, datable to the 1680s when he was living in Brussels.  Delicately rendered with fine detail, this work exemplifies his increased interest during this period in painting pastoral subjects in lush wooded landscapes.  While he regularly returned to depicting women playing lutes throughout his career, it is not until his late career that his settings shifted from interiors to the outdoors.  Here, an elegantly dressed woman, adorned in a beautiful dress with floral and gold details, is seated before sheets of music set on a stand nestled in thick foliage.  On her lap rests a lute whose long neck reaches to the trunk of a tree covered in flowers and leaves.  Behind her extends a graceful landscape with rolling hills of green that softly contrast with her shapely figure and porcelain skin.    Van der Neer’s mature landscapes are not reminiscent of his training with his father, Aert van der Neer, but rather echo the dense and detailed wooded landscapes of earlier generations, particularly those of Adam Elsheimer.  Such visual parallels, so meticulously and carefully rendered, not only strengthened van der Neer’s already well-established reputation during his lifetime, but also highlight his versatile skills as an artist today.  Also visible here is the continuation of the Fijnschilder tradition founded in Leiden by Gerrit Dou and his pupils almost half a century prior. This tradition, apart from flower painting, would soon run its course by the dawn of the next century, perhaps because works such as this left little room for further refinement. 

We are grateful to Dr. Eddy Schavemaker for confirming the attribution of the present lot on the basis of images and for suggesting it is a late work by the artist, datable to the 1680s.