Explorations in Digital Art History: a look at KOETSER

Artworks that mention "Koetser" in the provenance
data source: Boston Museum of Fine Arts website

Research question: could art market networks or patterns emerge from the study of an art dealer across numerous client institutions? In an initial approach, we look at mentions of the art dealer "Koetser" in provenances from diverse sources.

Like Speelman, with whom Koetser sometimes does business, Koetser appears in the provenance of numerous paintings at institutions such as the Seattle Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands. 

In 2020, the Max Stern Art Restitution Project announced that "Swiss art dealer, David Koetser, and the Stern Foundation reach a settlement on Jan Brueghel the Elder’s most important woodland scene. The National Gallery of Art in Washington then acquires the painting"

https://www.concordia.ca/arts/max-stern/chronologies.html

Below are a few examples of the Koetser name in provenance texts:

Koetser appeared in the provenance of artworks by these artists
data source: Holocaust collection 2005 Seattle Museum of Art

1. Koetser in the "Holocaust" Collection at the Seattle Art Museum

 
Holocaust Provenance

Francesco Bassano
Italian, 1549-1592
The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1575
oil on canvas
61 5/8 in. x 81 5/8 in.
Gift of the Clarence A. Black Memorial Collection, 50.76

Provenance
to 1946         Lord Rothermere, England;
1946 - 1950         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 03/14/1950        Seattle Art Museum

_________________

Holocaust Provenance

Abraham Hendricksz. van Beyeren
Dutch, c. 1620/21-1690
Banquet Still Life, c. 1653-55
oil on canvas
42 1/8 x 45 1/2 in. (107 x 115.6 cm)
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.146

Provenance
1890 - 1891         Francis Charles Hastings Russell, England;
1891 - 1893         George William Francis Sackville Russell, England; (by inheritance)
1893 - 1940         Herbrand Arthur Russell Bedford, England; (by inheritance)
1940 - 1951         Hastings William Sackville Russell Bedford, England; (by inheritance)
1951 - ?         W. Sabin
to 1954         David M. Koetser Gallery
1954 - 1961         Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York
accessioned 12/09/1961        Seattle Art Museum

____________________


Holocaust Provenance

Luca Carlevaris
Italian, 1663-1730/1
The Doge's Palace and the Grand Canal, Venice, c. 1710
oil on canvas
37 3/4 x 75 3/4 in. (95.9 x 192.4 cm)
Gift of Floyd A. Naramore, 50.70

Provenance
c. 1710 - ?         Mr. Crowe, England; (possibly)
         Squire of Stoke Rockford, C. Turner, England;
to 1924         Christie's London
         Lord Rothermere, England;
to 1950         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 05/01/1950        Seattle Art Museum

____________________

Holocaust Provenance

Luca Giordano
Italian, 1632-1705
The Triumph of Neptune, c. 1692-1702
oil on canvas
78 x 101 in. (198.1 x 256.5 cm)
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, 54.161

Provenance
         Charles II, King of Spain, d.; 1700
1700?         Earl of Pembroke, England;
sold between 1907 and 1954         Earl of Pembroke, England;
to 1954         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 12/14/1954        Seattle Art Museum"

______________________

Holocaust Provenance

Alessandro Magnasco
Italian, 1677-1749
Landscape with Figures, 1677-1749
oil on canvas
28 1/2 x 34 in. (72.39 x 86.36 cm) Overall h.: 34 1/2 in. Overall w.: 40 in.
Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund, 57.58

Provenance
         Horatio Granville Murray Stewart ?
to 1957         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 01/04/1957        Seattle Art Museum"

______________________

Holocaust Provenance

Giovanni Paolo Panini
Italian, 1692-1765
Coastal Scene, 1730
oil on canvas
40 3/4 x 51 in. (103.51 x 129.54 cm)
Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund, 59.64

Provenance
to 1959         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 04/02/1959        Seattle Art Museum"
_____________________

Holocaust Provenance

Andrea Previtali
Italian, 1470-1528
Head of Christ, c. 1517
oil on panel
17 15/16 x 13 3/4 in.
Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund, 54.163

Provenance
to 1954         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 12/14/1954        Seattle Art Museum"
_____________________
   
Holocaust Provenance

Emanuel de Witte
Dutch, 1616/18-1692
Interior of a Protestant Gothic Church, ca. 1670
oil on wood panel
18 7/8 x 16 1/2 in. (48 x 41.9 cm)
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.176

Provenance
         Lady Cosmo Bevan, Dorking, Surrey, England;
to 1951         Lady Islington, England;
1951 - 1954         David M. Koetser Gallery
1954 - 1961         Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York
accessioned 12/09/1961        Seattle Art Museum"
_____________________
   
Holocaust Provenance

Jakob van Oost
Flemish, 1603-71
Boys Blowing Bubbles, 1640s
oil on canvas
35 5/8 x 47 3/4 in. (90.5 x 121.3 cm)
Gift of Mr. Floyd Naramore, 58.140

Provenance
         Miss S. Morant and Miss V. E. Morant, England;
to 1958         David M. Koetser Gallery
accessioned 12/30/1958        Seattle Art Museum"
______________________
   
Holocaust Provenance

Emanuel de Witte
Dutch, 1616/18-1692
Interior of a Protestant Gothic Church, ca. 1670
oil on wood panel
18 7/8 x 16 1/2 in. (48 x 41.9 cm)
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.176

Provenance
         Lady Cosmo Bevan, Dorking, Surrey, England;
to 1951         Lady Islington, England;
1951 - 1954         David M. Koetser Gallery
1954 - 1961         Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York

accessioned 12/09/1961        Seattle Art Museum"

----
source:  Seattle Art Museum 2005 The Collection
Holocaust Provenance

Koetser appears in art by these artists in items the National Gallery of Art in Washington listed on the Nazi Era Provenance Internet Portal

2. National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.) artworks listed on the Nazi Era Provenance Internet Portal which contain "Koetser" in the provenance:

1957.14.5 Charity 

before 1530 oil on paneloverall: 119.5 x 92.5 cm (47 1/16 x 36 7/16 in.)framed: 154.3 x 128.9 x 12.1 cm (60 3/4 x 50 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1957.14.5 On View 

...; possibly purchased by Ripp.[2] Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro of Novar [d. 1865], London and Novar, Highland, Scotland; (Munro sale, Christie's, London, 1 June 1878, no. 101); purchased by Permain. Presumably Thomas Humphrey Ward [1845-1926], Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England; (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich); sold 1954 to the Samuel H.  Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1957 to NGA.

[1] According to G. Vasari, Le Vite, Milan, 1880: 5:50.[2] On the preceding two sales, see G. Redford, Art Sales, London, 1888: 2:251 and A. Graves, Art Sales From Early in the Eighteenth Century to Early in the Twentieth Century, London, 1921:  3:140.[3] According to W.E. Suida and F.R. Shapley, Paintings and Sculpture from the Kress Collection, Washington, 1956: 22. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.43724.html

2012.99.1 "River Scene with Windmill and Boats, Evening

c. 1645 oil on panel overall: 18.42 × 26.67 cm (7 1/4 × 10 1/2 in.)framed: 29.21 x 36.83 cm (11 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.)Gift of Robert H. and Clarice Smith 2012.99.1On View

Private collection, Lugano, by c. 1955; purchased through (anonymous dealer, Austria) by (David M. Koetser Gallery, Zurich);
[1] purchased April 1998 by Robert H. [1928-2009] and Clarice Smith, Arlington, VA; by inheritance to Clarice Smith; gift 2012 to NGA.[1] Wolfgang Schulz, Aert Van Der Neer, Doornspijk, 2002: 432, no. 1239, fig. 266; letter, David Koetser to Robert Smith, 20 March 1998, copy in NGA curatorial files. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.106339.html

1952.5.34 Countess Ebba Sparre

1652/1653 oil on canvas overall: 106.1 x 90.2 cm (41 3/4 x 35 1/2 in.)framed: 139.7 x 123.2 x 12.7 cm (55 x 48 1/2 x 5 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1952.5.34 On View 

... Grittleton House, Wiltshire; by inheritance to his brother, Sir John Neeld, 1st bt. [1805-1891], Grittleton House; by inheritance to his son, Sir Algernon William Neeld, 2nd bt. [1846-1900], Grittleton House; by inheritance to his brother, Sir Audley Dallas Neeld, 3rd bt. [1849-1941], Grittleton House; by inheritance to Joseph Neeld's descendant through an illegitimate daughter, Lionel William [Inigo-Jones] Neeld [d. 1956], Grittleton House; (Neeld sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 13 July 1945, no. 52, as Portrait of Christina of Sweden); purchased by Kaye.[3] (Wildenstein & Co., Paris, New York, and London); sold 1947 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1952 to NGA.

[1] .... Jeremiah Harman was head of a London banking house and had his own collection of paintings that was auctioned after his death in 1844.[3] Neeld's purchase at the Maitland sale is according to an annotated auction catalogue at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, and the painting is recorded in a 1913 manuscript copy of an 1851 manuscript catalogue of the Neeld collection (see letter from Martha Hepworth of the Getty Index dated 13 March 1986 in NGA curatorial files). In a letter of 20 January 1969 to Colin Eisler (copy in NGA curatorial files), the dealer David M. Koetser writes that among the paintings he sold to the Kress Foundation was "...indirectly...Sebastian Bourdon's 'Queen Christina'." It is possible that "Kaye" was a pseudonym used by Koetser at the 1945 sale, and that he was buying for the Foundation. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.41646.html

1961.9.66 Portrait of a Donor

c. 1470/1475oil on hardboard transferred from panelpainted surface: 25.7 x 20.6 cm (10 1/8 x 8 1/8 in.)overall (panel): 27.2 x 22.2 cm (10 11/16 x 8 3/4 in.)framed: 43.5 x 38.1 x 6.9 cm (17 1/8 x 15 x 2 11/16 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.66 Not on View 

John Osmaston, Osmaston Manor, Derbyshire, by 1879.[1] Alfred Brown, Brighton, by 1906.[2] Mrs. M. A. T. Slark; (sale, Christie's, London, 25 June 1948, no. 67, as by Jan van Eyck); acquired by (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich).[3] (M.  Knoedler & Co., New York, by 1950); on joint account with (Thomas Agnew and Sons, London) and (Pinakos, Inc [Rudolf Heinemann], New York); purchased February 1952 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; [4] gift 1961 to NGA.

[1] John Osmaston is listed as owner in Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters and by Deceased Masters of the British School, London, Royal Academy of the Arts, 1879, no. 218 (as Jan van Eyck).[2] Alfred Brown is listed as owner in Exhibition of Works by Flemish and Modern Belgian Painters, London, Art Gallery of the Corporation of London (Guildhall), 1906, no. 4 (as John van Eyck).[3] Seller and buyer per annotated auctioneer catalogue, Christie's Archive, London.[4] Knoedler stock book no. 10, p. 40, no. A3945, and sales book no. 16, p. 383,  M Knoedler and Co.Records, Getty Research Institute (copies NGA curatorial files). 
https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46165.html

1961.9.53 The Porta Portello, Padua

c. 1741/1742 oil on canvasoverall: 62 x 109 cm (24 7/16 x 42 15/16 in.)framed: 123.8 x 77.5 x 5.4 cm (48 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 2 1/8 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection 1961.9.53 On View 

L.T.N. Gould, Suffolk; sold 1943 to (P & D Colnaghi & Co., London); sold later that year to Francis F. Madan, London, as by Bellotto;[1] (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 15 July 1955, no. 88, as by Canaletto); purchased by H. Cevat;[2] (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich); purchased 1957 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1961 to NGA.

[1] See letter dated 8 May 1990 from Nadia E. Awad of the Getty Index, in NGA curatorial files. [2] Christie's annotated sale catalogue lists the purchaser as "H. Cevat." https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46152.html

2002.122.1 Still Life with Asparagus and Red Currants

1696 oil on canvas overall: 34 x 25 cm (13 3/8 x 9 13/16 in.)The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund2002.122.1On View 

Baroness Irene von der Becke-Klüchtzner. "property of a gentleman"; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 8 July 1977, no. 84); (David Koetser Gallery, Zurich); private  collection; (David Koetser Gallery, Zurich); purchased 7 October 2002 by NGA. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.125313.html

1961.9.20 Cardinal Francesco Cennini

1625oil on canvasoverall: 117.4 x 96.2 cm (46 1/4 x 37 7/8 in.)framed: 147.6 x 126.7 x 6.9 cm (58 1/8 x 49 7/8 x 2 11/16 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.20On View 

Dr. J. Seymour Maynard, London; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 29 January 1954, no. 58);[1] (Thomas Agnew and Sons, London); sold that same day to (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich);[2] purchased 1955 by the Samuel H.  Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1961 to NGA.
[1] Charles Beddington of the Old Master Picture Department at Christie's checked their records and found no earlier provenance for the painting; he suggested that, as Maynard was a frequenter of the London sale rooms, he may have purchased the picture at Sotheby's (letter of 2 January 1991 in NGA curatorial files). No reference to the painting appears in sales indexes prior to 1954.
[2] Stockbooks, Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, no. 1185
[3] According to Fern Rusk Shapley, Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Italian Schools XVI-XVIII Century, London, 1973: 78, and Fern Rusk Shapley, Catalogue of Italian Paintings, 2 vols., Washington, D.C., 1979: 1:246. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46119.html

1961.9.75 Still Life with Sweets and Pottery

1627oil on canvasoverall: 84.5 x 112.7 cm (33 1/4 x 44 3/8 in.)framed: 106 x 136.2 x 7.6 cm (41 3/4 x 53 5/8 x 3 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.75On View 
Possibly Diego de Messía Felípez de Guzmán, Marquès de Leganés, Madrid, 1655.[1]

  Private collection, Florence, by 1950.[2] (Victor Spark, New York), at least 1952 to 1954.[3] (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich);[4] purchased 1955 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1961 to NGA.
[1] William B. Jordan, Spanish Still Life in the Golden Age 1600-1650 (exh. cat., Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 1985: 135), raises the possibility that this painting is identical to one owned by Leganés at his death in 1655.  The marquis owned several still lifes by van der Hamen, including one described in his inventory (no. 97) as "otro banquete de la misma mano y tamaño (i.e. 2 baras poco mas o menos de alto y una y media de ancho), con cajas de conserbas, an carastillo de diferentes dulces y brearos" (another banquet of the same hand and size, with boxes of conserves, a basket of varied sweets and drinking cups).  As Jordan notes, the dimensions are significantly different from those of 1961.9.75 (84.2 x 112.0 versus c. 167.2 x 135.4).  He suggests that a scribe's error may be responsible for the discrepancy.  Certainly the vertical dimensions seem excessive for a still life of this type.
[2] Roberto Longhi, "Un momento importante nella storia dell 'Natura Morta,'" Paragone 1 (1950):  34-39, pl. 16.
[3] Recorded as owner in the exhibition catalogue La nature morte de l'antiquité a nos jours, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, April-September 1952, no. 72, and in Allan Gwynne-Jones, Introduction to Still-Life (London, 1954:  66-67, no. 59).
[4] Letter from David Rust to William Jordan, 6 June 1969, in NGA curatorial files. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46174.html

2012.73.2 View Down a Dutch Canal

c. 1670oil on paneloverall: 32.5 × 39 cm (12 13/16 × 15 3/8 in.)Gift of George M. and Linda H. Kaufman2012.73.2On View

Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk [1847-1917], by 1880;[1] by inheritance to his son, Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk [1908-1975]; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 11 February 1938, no. 99); B. de Geus van den Heuvel [1886-1976], Nieuwersluis; (his estate sale, Sotheby Mak van Waay B.V. at Round Lutheran Church, Singel, Amsterdam, 26-27 April 1976, no. 23); (David Koetser, Zurich); private collection, West Berlin; on consignment with (Hoogsteder-Naumann, New York); purchased 1986 by George M. [1932-2001] and Linda H. Kaufman, Norfolk, Virginia; Kaufman Americana Foundation, Norfolk; gift 2012 to NGA.
[1] The painting was lent by the duke to the 1880 Winter Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. It is not yet known when or where the Dukes of Norfolk acquired it. See the entry on the painting by Ben Broos in Great Dutch Paintings from America, exh. cat., Mauritshuis, The Hague; The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Hague and Zwolle, 1990: no. 31, 280-284. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.135093.html

2013.1.1 Wild Strawberries and a Carnation in a Wan-Li Bowl 

c. 1620oil on copperoverall (copper panel): 28.3 × 36.2 cm (11 1/8 × 14 1/4 in.)overall (with wood strip edges): 29.6 × 37.3 cm (11 5/8 × 14 11/16 in.)The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund2013.1.1On View 

(Leonard Koetser, London), in 1963.[1] private collection, "the property of a lady"; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 25 November 1966, no. 44); (Leonard Koetser, London), until at least 1967. (Newhouse Galleries, New York); purchased 1974 by Robert H. Smith [1928-2009], Bethesda, Maryland; sold 1978 to (Essoldo Fine Arts Ltd., London).[2] (Galerie Julie Kraus, Paris). private collection, Germany, in 1983. (Charles Roelofsz, Amsterdam), in 1994.[3] (Bob P. Haboldt & Co., New York), in 1995. private collection; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 14 December 2000, no. 15); private collection, Germany; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 8 July 2009, no. 12); private collection, "property from a deceased's estate"; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 5 December 2012, no. 32); purchased by NGA with donated funds.
[1] Koetser exhibited the painting in his 1963 autumn exhibition; see T.H. Crombie, "Autumn Offerings: Mr. Leonard Koetser," Apollo 78, no. 20 (October 1963): 305, fig. 6.
[2] In the published record of the painting, Mr. Smith's name is placed at various points in the ownership sequence: between the 1983 German private collection and Haboldt & Co. in the three Sotheby's sale catalogues, but before the 1966 Christie's sale in the catalogue of a 1995 exhibition at Haboldt & Co. in New York. The actual dates have been confirmed by Smith collection records that document the purchase from Newhouse Galleries and the sale to Essoldo Fine Arts (copies in NGA curatorial files). It is not yet certain whether Mr. Smith's ownership came before or after the ownership by Galerie Julie Kraus.
[3] Roelofsz exhibited the painting at TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) in Maastricht, The Netherlands, in 1994. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.161665.html

1974.109.1 Still Life with Nautilus Cup

1665/1670oil on canvasoverall: 68.2 x 58 cm (26 7/8 x 22 13/16 in.)framed: 90.8 x 80 x 9.5 cm (35 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 3 3/4 in.)Gift of Robert H. and Clarice Smith1974.109.1Not on View 

Possibly G.L.M. van Es, Wassenaar.[1] Probably Colonel Towers.[2] (Leonard Koetser, London); sold 1946 to (Edward Speelman, London);[3] sold 1950 or 1958 to (Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam);[4] sold 1958 to Mr. W. Reineke, Amersfoort; re-purchased 1968 by (Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam), with a half-share sold to (Newhouse, London);[5] sold 21 January 1969 by (Newhouse, London) to Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Smith, Washington, D.C.;[6] gift 1974 to NGA.
[1] Noted in Lucius Grisebach, Willem Kalf, 1619-1693, Berlin, 1974: 279.
[2] The name of Col. Towers is given in the 1950 De Boer exhibition catalogue.
[3] See the letter dated 31 March 1989 from Edward Speelman to Anke van Wagenberg-ter Hoeven, in NGA curatorial files.
[4] The letter dated 31 March 1989 from Edward Speelman to Anke van Wagenberg-ter Hoeven gives the date of his sale to P. de Boer as 1950. However, a letter of 17 April 1989 from H. de Boer to Anke van Wagenberg-ter Hoeven says the firm purchased the painting from Speelman in 1958. Both letters are in NGA curatorial files.[5] The transactions from 1958 to 1969 are described in H. de Boer's letter of 17 April 1989 to Anke van Wagenberg-ter Hoeven, in NGA curatorial files.[6] The sale date to the Smiths is given in their collection records; copy in NGA curatorial files. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.54976.html

1983.19.4 Concert of Birds

1660/1670oil on copperoverall: 13 x 18 cm (5 1/8 x 7 1/16 in.)Gift of John Dimick1983.19.4On View

(John Mitchell, London and New York), by 1956. (Leonard Koetser Ltd., London); sold June 1960 to Mrs. John Dimick, Chevy Chase, Maryland;[1] John Dimick, Chevy Chase; gift 1983 to NGA.
[1] An undated photograph in the Witt Library (fiche 12,090) identifies the painting as with John Mitchell Galleries. Peter Mitchell, of John Mitchell and Son, in response to a letter from Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., sent from their records a photograph of the painting dated May 1956 (see letter of 6 January 1983, in NGA curatorial files). A Leonard Koetser Ltd. label taken from the back of the painting references the Antique Dealers' Fair in June 1960, and the Koetser invoice for the sale to Mrs.  Dimick is dated 20 June 1960 (label and copy of invoice in NGA curatorial files). https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.62296.html

1983.19.3 Study of Butterfly and Insects

c. 1655oil on copperoverall: 11 x 14.8 cm (4 5/16 x 5 13/16 in.)Gift of John Dimick1983.19.3On View 

Comte de Joigny, France. (Brian Koetser Gallery, London), in 1966.[1] John Dimick, Chevy Chase, Maryland; gift 1983 to NGA.
[1] According to the catalogue of the 1966 exhibition at the Brian Koetser Gallery, the painting came from the collection of the "Count of Joigny, France." A label taken from the back of the painting (in NGA curatorial files) is from the autumn exhibition presented by Leonard Koetser Ltd., but no year is indicated. Both Koetser galleries held annual autumn exhibitions that frequently featured Dutch and Flemish paintings. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.62295.html

1961.9.92 Three Figures Dressed for a Masquerade

c. 1740soil on canvasoverall: 166.4 x 127 cm (65 1/2 x 50 in.)framed: 188.6 x 147.3 x 11.4 cm (74 1/4 x 58 x 4 1/2 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.92On View 

Camille Groult [1837-1908], Paris;[1] probably his son and heir, Jean Groult [1868-1951]; (his estate sale, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 21 March 1952, no. 84, as by Longhi); purchased by (anonymous dealer, France); sold to (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York and London); sold February 1953 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[2] gift 1961 to NGA.[1] A note in the 1952 sale catalogue entry indicates the painting was frequently attributed to Lampi when it was in this collection.[2] The painting was listed as "Jacopo Amigoni? - Interior with elegant company" on the Koetser Gallery invoice to the Kress Foundation, dated 20 February 1953 (copy in NGA curatorial files). https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46191.html

1946.7.11 Landscape with Peasants

c. 1640oil on canvasoverall: 46.5 x 57 cm (18 5/16 x 22 7/16 in.)framed: 71.1 x 81.9 x 10.2 cm (28 x 32 1/4 x 4 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1946.7.11Not on View 

...; by inheritance to his son, Sir Algernon William Neeld, 2nd bt. [1846-1900], Grittleton House; by inheritance to his brother, Sir Audley Dallas Neeld, 3rd bt. [1849-1941], Grittleton House; by inheritance to Joseph Neeld's descendant through an illegitimate daughter, Lionel William [Inigo-Jones] Neeld [d. 1956], Grittleton House; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 9 June 1944, no. 18); purchased by Koetser or Rocker.[1] (Wildenstein & Co., Paris, New York, and London); sold December 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[2] gift 1946 to NGA.
[1] According to an undated letter from early 1986, an annotated copy of the 1944 Neeld sale catalogue at the Getty Index states that "Rocker" purchased lot 18 (Julia A. Armstrong to Suzannah Fabing, in NGA curatorial files). However, two other annotated copies of the sale catalogue (photocopies from both in NGA curatorial files, one from the Knoedler Library fiche of British sales) indicate that lot 18 was purchased by "Koetser," almost certainly the dealer David M. Koetser. This theory is supported by a passage in The Paintings of The Betty and David M. Koetser Foundation (introduction by Malcolm M. Waddingham, catalogue by Christian Klemm, Zurich and Doornspijk, 1988: 10), in which Koetser's purchase of "the rare Landscape with Peasants by Louis Le Nain" is described. It is possible that "Rocker" was a pseudonym used by Koetser. It is not clear whether Koetser was buying for himself, or for or with Wildenstein. Koetser's letter of 20 January 1969 to Colin Eisler contains a list of some of the non-Italian paintings he sold to the Kress Foundation followed by the sentence "And indirectly, Louis Le Nain's 'Landscape'..." (copy in NGA curatorial files).[2] The "memorandum of agreement" between Wildenstein and the Kress Foundation for the purchase of ten paintings, including Louis Le Nain's Peasants in a Landscape, is dated 28 December 1944 (copy in NGA curatorial files). Colin Eisler, Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: European Schools Excluding Italian, Oxford, 1977: 266 n. 14, incorrectly gives the date of the Kress acquisition as 1946, misspells Hibbert's name as Hibbard, and indicates the painting sold for fifty guineas in 1789, when the Ellis Waterhouse letter to which he refers only says the painting was priced at fifty guineas. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.32689.html

1961.9.58 Memorial to Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell

1725oil on canvasoverall: 222.1 x 158.8 cm (87 7/16 x 62 1/2 in.)framed: 251.3 x 188.4 x 10.8 cm (98 15/16 x 74 3/16 x 4 1/4 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.58On View 

Commissioned by Owen McSwiny for Charles Lennox, 2d duke of Richmond [1701-1750], Goodwood, Sussex, and Somerset House, London, by 1726; by descent to Charles Lennox, 4th duke of Richmond [1764-1819]; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 26 March 1814, no. 48); bought by P. Hill.[1] Sir Richard Colthurst, Cork, Ireland. (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich);[2] purchased 1953 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1961 to NGA.
[1] The circumstances of commission and the painting's sale are discussed in the NGA systematic catalogue entry (Diane De Grazia and Eric Garberson, Italian Paintings of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Washington, D.C., 1996: 237-242).  Martha Hepworth of the Getty Index provided an annotated copy of the 1814 Goodwood sale catalogue and has identified P. Hill "almost certainly" as the London dealer Philip Hill, about whom little is known (letter of 8 June 1990, NGA curatorial files).
[2] Fern Rusk Shapley, Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Italian Schools XVI-XVIII Century, London, 1973: 132, and Fern Rusk Shapley, Catalogue of Italian Paintings, 2 vols., Washington, D.C., 1979: 1:404. According to a typed notation in the NGA curatorial files of a letter from David Koetser of 23 October 1954, Koetser acquired the painting through an agent working for an old English family whose name he would not divulge to Koetser. https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46157.html

1939.1.231 Susanna

c. 1575oil on canvasoverall: 150.2 x 102.6 cm (59 1/8 x 40 3/8 in.)framed: 185.7 x 137.8 x 10.8 cm (73 1/8 x 54 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1939.1.231On View 

George Oakley Fisher, Egremont House, Middlesex, England. (David M. Koetser Gallery, London). (Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi, Florence); sold June 1936 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[1] gift 1939 to NGA.
[1] The bill of sale for a group of paintings, including the Tintoretto, is dated 1 June 1936 (copy in NGA curatorial files). https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.372.html

1961.9.61 The Muses Urania and Calliope

c. 1634oil on woodoverall: 79.8 x 125 cm (31 7/16 x 49 3/16 in.)framed: 105.4 x 150.2 x 10.2 cm (41 1/2 x 59 1/8 x 4 in.)Samuel H. Kress Collection1961.9.61On View 

M. de Mauméjan; (his estate sale, Lacoste and Henry, Paris, 29 June-2 July 1825, no. 47).[1] Miss E.M. Linton, Upper Basildon, Berkshire, England;[2] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 1 July 1955, no. 154); (David M. Koetser Gallery, New York, London, and Zurich);[2] sold 1957 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1961 to NGA.
[1] Georges Isarlo, Caravage et le caravagisme éuropéen, Aix-en-Provence, 1941: 263.
[2] Miss Linton's name was kindly supplied by Marijke Booth of Christie's Archive Department, London (e-mail to Anne Halpern, 5 December 2007, NGA curatorial files), as was the buyer's name from the auctioneer's book: H. Levat (or Cevat). "Levat" was perhaps buying for, or a pseudonym for, David Koester, who wrote to Colin Eisler (letter of 20 January 1969, NGA curatorial files) that although he had "not kept a record of [the painting's] exact source," he did recall that "he purchased the painting at Christie's, presumably in 1955 or 1956." https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46160.html

(please let us know in a comment if you see any errors)
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  3. Boston Museum of Fine Arts : "Koetser" in the Provenance

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Title, Artist, Accession Number	Provenance
Cattle and Horses with a Herdsman Attributed to Hendrick ten Oever Accession Number: 52.109	Provenance R.C. Searle, Salisbury, England; sold by Searle to the David M. Koetser Gallery, New York and London; 1952, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $3500. (Accession Date: February 14, 1952) Credit Line Francis Welch Fund
Combat between Carnival and Lent Workshop of Pieter Bruegel, the Elder Accession Number: 49.82	Provenance Asgille Colville. Baron Auchterlonie, near Oxford. Col. A.A. Moller, London; February 28, 1946, sold by Moller at Robinson & Foster, London, lot 124, and bought by Frank Sabin, London; by 1949, with David M. Koetser, New York [see note 1]; 1949, sold by Sabin (and Koetser?) to the MFA for $34,000. (Accession Date: March 10, 1949) NOTES: [1] according to letter of March 1, 1949 from David M. Koetser, New York, to Hans Swarzenski of the MFA in curatorial file, Mr. Sabin is referred to as a "co-owner." Credit Line Seth K. Sweetser Fund, Abbott Lawrence Fund, Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow Fund, William Wilkins Warren Fund, and Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection
A Wooded Landscape with Travelers and a Dog on a Path Jan Wijnants Date: 167(5?) Accession Number: 2008.203	Provenance 1907, with Frederik Muller, Amsterdam. 1919, August Janssen (b. 1849), Brussels; 1919, sold by Janssen to Goudstikker, Amsterdam; 1926, still with Goudstikker. 1957/1958, Alfred Brod Gallery, London. November 2, 2004, anonymous sale, Sotheby's, Amsterdam, lot 103. David Koetser Gallery, Zurich; sold by Koetser to Linda H. Kaufman; 2008, gift of Linda Kaufman to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 25, 2008) Credit Line Gift of Linda H. and George M. Kaufman in honor of Barbara L. and Theodore B. Alfond
Bouquet of Flowers on a Ledge Balthasar van der Ast Date: 1624 Accession Number: 2017.4187	Provenance July 10, 1981, anonymous (Property of a Lady) sale, Christie’s, London, lot 7. By 1983, David Koetser (dealer), Zurich [see note 1]; about 1985, sold by Koetser to Henry Weldon (b. 1905 - d. 2003) and June Weldon (b. 1922 - d. 2014), New York; April 22, 2015, Weldon sale, Sotheby’s, New York, lot 65, to Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo, Marblehead, MA; 2017, gift of Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 14, 2017) NOTES: [1] The painting was lent to Masters of Middelburg, Waterman Gallery, Amsterdam, March 1984. Credit Line Gift of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art
Landscape with an Avenue of Trees Peter Paul Rubens Accession Number: 43.1332	Provenance Éverhard Jabach (d. 1695), Paris [see note 1]. William Clarkson Wallis (d. 1931), Brighton, England; 1938, sold from the Wallis collection to David Koetser Gallery, London; sold by Koetser to Paul Bottenwieser (dealer), London [see note 2]; sold by Bottenwieser to Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York; 1943, sold by Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co. to the MFA for $11,000. (Accession Date: December 9, 1943) NOTES: [1] In his posthumous inventory of 1696, no. 152: "Paysage; sur le devant une grande allée d'arbres avec une prairie. Ce tableau n'est point encore finy; il est sur papier, collé sur bois, peint à l'huille, de Rubens." "Éverard Jabach: Collectionneur Parisien," Mémoires de la Société de l'Histoire de Paris et de l'Ile-de-France 23 (1894): p. 257. [2] That the painting came from the Clarkson Wallis collection and was sold in 1938 is according to Gustav Glück, Die Landschaften von Peter Paul Rubens (Vienna: Schroll, 1940), p. 31, no. 24 (as "Die Allee"), where it it listed as being with Paul Bottenwieser, London. According to notes from an interview with dealer David Koetser by MFA curator W. G. Constable (January 3, 1946), the painting was "bought from the Brighton owner by Koetser, London; sold by him to Bottenwieser, and then passed to or shared by Arnold Seligmann." Credit Line Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow Fu
Peasant Girl Catching a Flea Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Date: about 1715 Accession Number: 46.461	Provenance 1929, art market, Venice; 1929, purchased in Venice by Sir Horace George Montagu Rumbold (b. 1869 - d. 1941), 9th Bart., Berlin [see note 1]; by inhertance to his son, Sir Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold (b. 1911 - d. 1983), 10th Bart., London [see note 2]; October 26, 1945, Rumbold sale, Christie's, London, lot 634 [see note 3], to David M. Koetser Gallery, London and New York; 1946, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $5700. (Accession Date: June 13, 1946) NOTES: [1] Rumbold was the British ambassador serving in Berlin from 1928 - 1933. [2] A letter from SIr Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold to W. G. Constable of the MFA (November 15, 1946) says that "My father bought them [MFA 46.461 and 46.462] from a dealer in Venice in, I think, the summer of 1929. They were then in our Embassy in Berlin until 1933.... After 1933 they were at the Grosvenor Current in London until the war when they were stored and eventually sold at Christie's." [3] Sold as one of a pair along with MFA no. 46.462 Credit Line Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow Fund
Still-life with a Mouse, Walnuts and a Candle on a Stone Ledge Willem van Aelst Date: 1647 Accession Number: 2017.4189	Provenance 1973, Brian L. Koetser Gallery, London [see note 1]. Private collection, London. 1989, Richard Green (dealer), London. 1989, French and Co., New York. About 1995, Joost R. Ritman, Amsterdam; 1999, sold by Ritman to Benoit Wesly, Maastricht [see note 2]; 2001, sold by Wesly to Noortman Master Paintings, London; 2002, sold by Noortman Master Paintings to Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo, Marblehead, MA; 2017, gift of Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 14, 2017) NOTES: [1] Included in the Autumn Exhibition of Fine Dutch, Flemish, and Italian Old Master Paintings (Brian L. Koetser Gallery, London, 1973). [2] Lent anonymously to the exhibition Vermeer and the Delft School (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and National Gallery, London, 2001), pp. 212-213, cat. no. 1. Provenance information is taken from Frederik Duparc et al., Golden: Dutch and Flemish Masterworks from the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection (New Haven, 2011), p. 55, cat. no. 1, and RKD images online (https://rkd.nl/). Credit Line Gift of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art
Peasant Boy at a Market Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Date: 1715–18 Accession Number: 46.462	Provenance 1929, art market, Venice; 1929, purchased in Venice by Sir Horace George Montagu Rumbold (b. 1869 - d. 1941), 9th Bart., Berlin [see note 1]; by inhertance to his son, Sir Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold (b. 1911 - d. 1983), 10th Bart., London [see note 2]; October 26, 1945, Rumbold sale, Christie's, London, lot 634 [see note 3], to David M. Koetser Gallery, London and New York; 1946, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $5700. (Accession Date: June 13, 1946) NOTES: [1] Rumbold was the British ambassador serving in Berlin from 1928 to 1933. [2] A letter from Sir Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold to W. G. Constable of the MFA (November 15, 1946) says that "My father bought them [MFA 46.461 and 46.462] from a dealer in Venice in, I think, the summer of 1929. They were then in our Embassy in Berlin until 1933.... After 1933 they were at the Grosvenor Current in London until the war when they were stored and eventually sold at Christie's." [3] Sold as one of a pair along with MFA no. 46.462 Credit Line Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow Fund
Christ Preaching on the Sea of Galilee Jan van Scorel Accession Number: 50.293	Provenance 1929, art market, Venice; 1929, purchased in Venice by Sir Horace George Montagu Rumbold (b. 1869 - d. 1941), 9th Bart., Berlin [see note 1]; by inhertance to his son, Sir Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold (b. 1911 - d. 1983), 10th Bart., London [see note 2]; October 26, 1945, Rumbold sale, Christie's, London, lot 634 [see note 3], to David M. Koetser Gallery, London and New York; 1946, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $5700. (Accession Date: June 13, 1946) NOTES: [1] Rumbold was the British ambassador serving in Berlin from 1928 to 1933. [2] A letter from Sir Horace Anthony Claude Rumbold to W. G. Constable of the MFA (November 15, 1946) says that "My father bought them [MFA 46.461 and 46.462] from a dealer in Venice in, I think, the summer of 1929. They were then in our Embassy in Berlin until 1933.... After 1933 they were at the Grosvenor Current in London until the war when they were stored and eventually sold at Christie's." [3] Sold as one of a pair along with MFA no. 46.462 Credit Line Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow Fund
Kitchen Interior Emanuel de Witte Date: 166 (?) Accession Number: 47.1314	Provenance 1669, possibly Laurens Mauritsz Doucy, Amsterdam [see note 1]. 1683, possibly Tames van den Bergh, Amsterdam [see note 2]. 1841, J. Kleinenbergh (d. by 1841), Leiden, the Netherlands; July 19, 1841, posthumous Kleinenbergh sale, at his home, Rapenburg, Leiden, lot 70, sold to Eckford for 205 fl. [see note 3]. Daniel Woodin, England; from Daniel Woodin to Fred Woodin, England [see note 4]. 1946, Koetser Gallery, London; 1946, half-share sold to W. E. Duits, Ltd., London (stock no. 7755); 1947, half-share sold back by Duits to Koetser, London and New York; 1947, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $5000. (Accession Date: September 18, 1947) NOTES: [1] This may be the "Koockentie" (kitchen scene) by Emanuel de Witte included in Doucy's inventory of January 18, 1669 (no. 56); see A. Bredius, Künstler-Inventare (The Hague, 1916), vol. 2, p. 424. Witte lived with Doucy between 1664 and 1667. [2] Possibly the "Keucken" (kitchen) by Emanuel de Witte included in his inventory of July 5, 1683 (no. 29). Getty Provenance Index Archival Document N-26. [3] Attributed in the catalogue to Pieter de Hooch. "Eckford" was probably Henry George Eckford (b. 1807 - d. 1893), a London picture dealer, or possibly his brother, Charles John Eckford (b. 1795 - d. 1845). [4] A label on the reverse of the painting reads "From Fred Woodin's collection / From Daniel Woodin." Credit Line Seth K. Sweetser Fund
Mill on a River Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) Date: 1631 (?) Accession Number: 44.72	Provenance Possibly Fréderic-Maurice de la tour d'Auvergne (b. about 1605 - d. 1652), Duc de Bouillon, Sedan, France (?) [see note 1]. 1826, Woodburn (dealer), London; March 25, 1826, sale, Woodburn, London, lot 71, not sold (?) [see note 2]. Until 1845, Thomas Wright, Upton Hall, Newark, England; June 7, 1845, Wright sale, Christie's, London, lot 44, to Moore for Wynn Ellis (b. 1790 - d. 1875), London; June 17, 1876, Ellis sale, Christie's, London, lot 4, to Portington. 1943, Sir Berkeley Sheffield, 6th Bt. (b. 1876 - d. 1946), Normanby Park, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire; July 16, 1943, Sheffield sale, Christie's, London, lot 40 [see note 3], to Sandor. By 1944, Koetser Gallery, London and New York; 1944, sold by Koetser to the MFA for $6000. (Accession Date: March 9, 1944) NOTES: [1] John Smith, "A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters," part 8 (London, 1837), pp. 378-379, no. 409: "stated to have formerly adorned the country mansion of the Count de Bouillon." W. G. Constable, "The Early Work of Claude Lorrain," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1945, p. 308, suggests that this refers to the Duc de Bouillon, "one of Claude's most important patrons." However, the earlier Woodburn sale catalogue (1826) makes no mention of its ownership by the duc de Bouillon. [2] The outcome of the sale in 1826 is not known. In 1837, Smith (as above, n. 1) states that the painting was with Woodburn. [3] Sold as a work by C. van Everdingen. Credit Line Seth K. Sweetser Fund
Woodland Vistas Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael Date: 1670s Accession Number: 52.1757	Provenance 1858, John Blake, Esq., Aigburth, near Liverpool; March 13, 1858, Blake sale, Christie, Manson and Woods, London, lot 79, sold to Rippe for 66 guineas. 1870, Charles Adolphus (b. 1841-d. 1907), 7th Earl of Dunmore, Dunmore Park, Scotland; May 13, 1870, Earl of Dunmore sale, Christie, Manson and Woods, London, lot 17, to Arthur Cunliffe for £236.50 [see note 1]; June 20, 1924, Cunliffe sale, Christie's, London, lot 163, sold to Ascher (probably Asscher, Koetser, and Welker, London) [see note 2]. 1925, Paul Bottenwieser, Berlin [see note 3]. 1925, Galerie van Diemen and Co., Berlin; 1925, sold by Van Diemen to Mrs. Henry J. Pierce, New York; 1937, sold by Mrs. Pierce to Edwin Hale Abbot, Jr. (b. 1881 - d. 1966), Cambridge, MA and Ventnor, NJ; 1952, gift of Edwin Hale Abbot, Jr., to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 11, 1952) NOTES: [1] Unless otherwise noted, this provenance information is taken from Seymour Slive, Jacob van Ruisdael: A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings (New Haven and London, 2001), cat. no. 323, p. 261. [2] That it was sold to Ascher is according to Slive 2001 (as above, n. 1). According to information annotated on a photograph of the painting, on file at the Witt Library, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, the painting was with Asscher, Koetser and Welker in 1926 (sic). [3] According to information annotated on a photograph of the painting on file at the Witt Library, as above, n. 2. Credit Line Gift of Edwin H. Abbot, Jr. in memory of his father Edwin H. Abbot

Search Results

Cattle and Horses with a Herdsman

Attributed to Hendrick ten Oever

Accession Number: 52.109

Combat between Carnival and Lent

Workshop of Pieter Bruegel, the Elder

Accession Number: 49.82

A Wooded Landscape with Travelers and a Dog on a Path

Jan Wijnants

Date: 167(5?) Accession Number: 2008.203

Flower Bouquet on a Ledge, Together with a Shell and a Grasshopper, A Panoramic Landscape Behind

Balthasar van der Ast

Date: 1624 Accession Number: 2017.4187

Landscape with an Avenue of Trees

Peter Paul Rubens

Accession Number: 43.1332

Peasant Boy at a Market

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

Date: 1715–18 Accession Number: 46.462

Peasant Girl Catching a Flea

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

Date: about 1715 Accession Number: 46.461

Still-life with a Mouse, Walnuts and a Candle on a Stone Ledge

Willem van Aelst

Date: 1647 Accession Number: 2017.4189

Christ Preaching on the Sea of Galilee

Jan van Scorel

Accession Number: 50.293

Kitchen Interior

Emanuel de Witte

Date: 166 (?) Accession Number: 47.1314

Mill on a River

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)

Date: 1631 (?) Accession Number: 44.72

Woodland Vistas

Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael

Accession Number: 52.1757

Koetser in NGA UK List of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945

4. NGA London:  Koetser in Whereabouts of paintings 1933: List of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945

LUDOVICO CARRACCI 'The Marriage of the Virgin' Accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the National Gallery, 2003 NG6595 Provenance Leonard Koetser (D), London* Sale at Christie’s London, 1st of July 1955, lot 133 (as Van Haarlem) Bought by Philip Pouncey and attributed by him to Ludovico Carracci, until 1966 On loan to the National Gallery since 1988 Accepted by H.M. Government in Lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the National Gallery, 2003

 Questions 1933-1945
Whereabouts between 1933 and 1945
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  COORTE, ADRIAEN ‘Still Life with a Bowl of Strawberries, a Spray of Gooseberries, Asparagus and a Plum’ Gift from the collection of Willem Baron van Dedem, 2017 NG6664 Provenance Possibly sale of the Samuel Archbutt collection, (Christie’s, London), 18 May 1833 (Lugt 13314), lot 25: ̒A. Coorte, 1703: Fruit and vegetables’. {1} Private collection, France; {2} sold (Sotheby’s, Monaco), 22 June 1985, lot 46; (David Koetser Gallery, Zurich), 1985. Linda and Gerald Guterman, New York; by whom sold (Sotheby’s, New York), 14 January 1988, lot 7 (bought in). Sale (Sotheby’s, New York), 16 May 1996, lot 120, bought in. Private collection, New York, until 2006. (Haboldt & Co., Paris), 2006-2007. Willem Baron van Dedem [1929-2015]; gift from the collection of Willem Baron van Dedem to the National Gallery, 2017.

 Questions 1933-45 {1} Provenance between Archbutt sale and private collection. {2} Date and source of acquisition by private collection. Notes Quentin Buvelot, 'The still lifes of Adriaen Coorte (active c. 1683-1707)', exh. Mauritshuis, The Hague; Zwolle 2008, p. 110, no. 50.
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  LASTMAN 'Juno discovering Jupiter with Io' Presented to the NG by Julius Weitzner in 1957 NG6272 Provenance Max Koetser (D), London;* Christie's, London, 3 May 1957;* Doward; Julius Weitzner, NY;

 Questions 1933-1945 Date and details of acquisition by Koetser Confirm details of vendor 1957
 ________________________

  POLIDORO DA CARAVAGGIO 'The Way to Calvary' Bought with a grant from The Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) and donations from the George Beaumont Group, 2003 NG6594 Provenance Acquired from Max Koetser (D), London, in the mid-1930s by Alfred Scharf (1900-1965), as Scharf informed Pouncey Anonymous sale, Christie’s, London, 19 June 1959, lot 71 Philip Pouncey (1910-1990) Thence by descent The purchase of this painting was made possible by the National Art Collections Fund and the George Beaumont Group

 Questions 1933-1945 Date and details of acquisition by Max Koetser?

 Details of vendor 1959

_______________________

5. Koetser in the RKD

The (fabulous) RKD site shows 804 results for a query on Koetser, of which 780 are paintings.

https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/images#query=Koetser&v=list There are simply too many to display here, though the provenances will hopefully be published in a dataset that can be downloaded and analysed for patterns, networks, etc. Some of this work is performed automatically by RKD. Thus one can see on the website the breakdown of  entities such as painters, places, owners (for a search on Koetser):

(some screenshots of the RKD breakdown for Koetser)

https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/images#query=Koetser&v=list

RKD lists the artists, the places where the work was created and collected and, in the last image, the names of the owners: 284 David Koetser, 192 Private Collection, 134 Leonard Koetser, 121 Brian Koetser, 43 Asscher Koetser & Welker, 41, EDavid M. Koetser, 41 Kunsthandel P. de Boer, etc.

Next Steps...

The above examples represent only a few of the artworks that passed through Koetser's hands all around the world. Many more are to be found in other institutions - the Kunsthaus Zürich, the J. P. Getty, etc...

It is a long and tedious work to find every mention, especially since Koetser used so many names and aliases in transactions (see The Many Names of Koetser). However, this preparatory groundwork should be useful for art historians who wish to get a complete picture.

After gathering the information about the various artworks that passed through Koetser, the next step would be to put the data in a format that's easy to analyse - like a single CSV file. And then see what pops out...

Has anyone already done this?

Visualizing the Art Market Networks of Hermann Voss

Network visualisation of Hermann Voss' connections, with his direct connections and the connection of his direct connections, according to the ALIU Final Report Red Flag list of Names of 1946.
(network graph generated automatically by google fusion tables-

With data visualisation tools, the graphical representation of the links between individuals in vast criminal networks is made possible. 

In the above graph, one sees the connections of Hermann Voss, as described in the 1946 OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit Final Report, which detailed the Nazi era art market network.

For each person in the ALIU "Red Flag List of Names" a brief paragraph summarises what is known about the person's role in the European Nazi-era art market. There are more than 1000 names on the list, each one with a few sentences of description, which typically includes a dozen or more attributes and connections.

The paragraph devoted to Voss in the Final Report contains 50 words, including his name.

Voss, Dr Hermann. Munich. Director of the Linz Special Commission, the Linz Musuem, and the Dresden Gallery from May 1943. Involved in the Schloss and Mannheimer collection (forced) sales, and the official chiefly responsible for Hitler’s looting and purchasing policies after 1945. In custody US 3rd Army, Munich, September 1945.

One can imagine that, due to practical contraints, the Art Looting Investigation Unit may have found it impossible to stuff everything they had learned about Hermann Voss into the one small paragraph allocated to each subject in the ALIU Final Report.

However, the "Voss, Dr Hermann" paragraph is not the only mention of Voss in the ALIU Final Report. 

A simple data filter in Sheets gives us the names linked to Voss in the ALIU Red Flag List/

Filtering for mentions of "Voss" in the shared Google Sheet "OSS ALIU Red Flag Names PUBLIC"

Voss, we see, is mentioned in 17 entries in the ALIU Red Flag List*.

Goepel, Grosshennig, Gurlitt [the father of Bavarian art hoarder, Cornelius], Nadolle, Oertel, Pat-Zaade, Posse, Reimer, Schilling, Schmidt, Voss, Waldner, Weber, Zinckgraf, Mandl, de Boer, Hoogendijk,.

Each one of the above individuals, who the ALIU believed to be connected to Voss, had his own network, or "cluster".  

It is by joining together these different clusters that we are able to extract information that can be used to visualize the Nazi art market network - as analysed by the Art Looting Investigation Unit in 1946.

It is these mentions that we will use to select the data for network analysis.

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How to map the direct connections of Dr. Hermann Voss using Google Sheets and Google Fusion Tables

In our experiments we used the following method to prepare the data:

1) copy the entire ALIU Red Flag list into a Google Sheet called OSS ALIU Red Flag Names PUBLIC.  It is this file that we will return to, again and again, to find more information about different networks contained in the Final Report.  This task needs to be performed only once.
(This Google sheet can be viewed by anyone with this link.)

2) filter for Voss (Data, Filter by Condition, Text contains "Voss") as shown above.

3) copy the results (which are all the Red Flag texts in which Voss is mentioned) to another sheet, named, for example, "Voss Network"

4) Format the "Voss Network" sheet (so that it can be loaded and analysed in Google Fusion Tables)

Sheet AFTER formatting: Name1 and Name2 are linked in the network

Note: We format the data only after having gathered it all together. 

4.1 Using the Sheets Data function, Split Text to columns, Use the "." as the Separator.

4.2 Add a column to the left .

4.3 For all the entries that mentioned Voss, copy "Voss, Dr Hermann" into the new column.
This is important for network analysis later, because it links Voss to the name of the Red Flag entry in which his name appears.

Note: the assumption is that the mention of Voss' name implies some kind of link to Voss. The exact nature of the link is specified in the text, which is information that we will exploit later using a different network analysis tool, but which we do not need at this stage in the analysis.


4.4  Name the columns (from Left to Right): Name1, Name2, Location, Role1, Role2, Role3...Role10

(Note: We format all the Sheets the same so that later we can mix selected files in Google Fusion Tables)

5) Load the Google Sheet "Voss Network" into Google Fusion Tables

(Note: If you have multiple sheets (tabs) you can select which one to load)

6) In Google Fusion tables, click on "Create Chart"./ Specify that the chart is for Name1, Name2

note! This will generate a circle with spokes in which  "Voss, Dr. Hermann" is in the centre with links to every Red Flag Name entry that mentioned him.

Try it!

How to add clusters to the network

To obtain the graph with several clusters at the beginning of this post, one inserts a step between 3) and 4). in which one adds the connections for some or all of the names whose entries mentioned Voss.

Before formatting the "Voss Network" Google Sheet, one returns to the OSS ALIU Red Flag Names PUBLIC Google Sheet and filters for Red Flag entries that mentioned Voss. Goepel is the first name on the list,.

Filter for Goepel and copy the result into the "Voss Network" Google Sheet, and repeats for the next name.

ALIU entries that mentioned Goepel are: Goeple, Wuester, Holzapfel, leegenhoek, Lefranc, Mandl, Block, and Cramer.  We can think of this as the "Goepel" cluster.

This will add to the Voss network, all the Red Flag entries that mentioned Goepel.




Once all the information one wants about Voss' contacts has been added, proceed to formatting, as described in step 4, then load in Google Fusion Tables

Note: Attention, in the column to the left (that will become Name1), one puts Goepel (or whatever name was filtered for)

Direct Links to Voss and Direct links to one of Voss' direct links, Goepel.
Note that the names appear exactly as they do in their ALIU entry, "Voss, Dr Hermann" and "Gopel, Dr Erhard".
We are careful to use the exact ALIU names so that they will match in network analysis.

This approach can be used for any set of links one wants to analyse, whether to a name of a person, a place, an organisation, an event,  a year or any word that appears in the ALIU Red Flag list.

Data, always in the same format, can be mixed and matched, a process we will show later.

Links to Datasets:

• ALIU Red Flag List published on lootedart.com

• OSS ALIU Red Flag Names PUBLIC Google Sheet

• Voss Network Google Sheet

• Voss Network Google Fusion Table (formatted sheet)

Considerations concerning the source

By necessity, important information will be missing from an operational report made under time constraints in difficult conditions.  We are, in using the information in the ALIU Red Flag List to map our networks, trusting the selection of information made by the OSS ALIU team.

Is there - should there be- a limit to this trust? What are the contours to the report's reliability? Are there blindspots we should be aware of? Omissions that should be compensated for by bringing in other sources? Attention to some areas that seems excessive?

For the time being we will acknowledge these questions and put them aside, for further exploration later. No source is perfect, and, at present, the 1946 ALIU Red Flag List, with all its imperfections, still seems to be the most useful primary historical source we have.

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*Vossisk was picked up but is not a contact. (In addition, Voss had an entire detailed interrogation report (DIR) dedicated to him, but we are not using the detailed report, only the summary of Red Flag names in the Final Report.)

Mapping ALIU looted art market networks with Google Fusion Tables

Graphs from Google Fusion Tables can help us to visualise the Nazi looted art market described in 1946 by the OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit

There is little, at present, in the way of digital network analysis of Nazi looted art markets.

The field appears to be wide open. (Digital art historians, take note). 
There does not seem to be a sophisticated user base of researchers adapt at using digital tools to explore Nazi looted art markets or even much of an appreciation for how illuminating use of these tools can be.

Google Fusion Tables is a free experimental tool that is easy to use, very powerful and built for collaboration. It has been widely adopted by investigative journalists and data journalists whose analytical detective methods have much to offer to historians of the Holocaust as well as scholars of the art market.

Time is short, as Google has announced plans to pull the plug on Fusion Tables on December 3, 2019.

The clock is ticking. However, in the eleven months that Google Fusion Tables has to live, there is a lot of innovative research that can be done with methods that are within the reach of absolutely anyone who cares to learn. (This includes not just those interested in Nazi looted art, but also researchers of colonialism.)

see:

Networks of Bruno Lohse

The Ultimate Art Looting Network: Agents of High Placed Nazis

Switzerland in the Art Looting Investigation Unit Red Flag List of Names

Networks of Gustav Rochlitz

RIP Fusion Tables: Google is killing off the beloved data visualization tool from Fastcompany

The Ultimate Art Looting Network: AGENTS OF HIGH PLACED NAZIS

Declassified in 2001, the "Agents of High Placed Nazis for Looting Works of Art " Source: NARA 1518815  

AGENTS OF HIGH PLACED NAZIS FOR LOOTING WORKS OF ART

Herr Adolf WÜSTER
Herr Gustav ROCHLITZ
Dr. VOSS
Dr. Kurt MARTIN
Andreas HOFER
Dr. HABERSTOCK
Dr. LOHSE
Dr. BUCHNER
Dr. Otto FÖRSTER
Herr BAHMANN
Dr. GURLITT
Dr. MÜHLMANN
Dr. GOEPEL
Prof. HERBST
Dr. R SCHOLZ
Herr APFELSTAEDT
Emil ZAUNKELMER

From Paris
Martin FABIANI
Roger DEQUOY
Alfred DABER
César de HAUCKE
? PETRIDES
Count Avogli TROTTI



Most of these names are familiar from the Art Looting Investigation Unit Final Report and Red Flag List.  Several of these names also appear in provenances of artworks that are currently in public museums.

The ALIU singled out this "cluster" of individuals for particular attention. What was their position within the overall ALIU Red Flag Network? And how did it evolve in the aftermath of the war?

The ALIU Red Flag list presents a snapshot of the network (as they understood it) shortly before the OSS unit was dissolved. When happened next? And, in particular, after both the Munich and Wiesbaden Central Collecting Points were closed in August 1951?

Can we track the evolution of this cluster over time?

Paul Pétridès in 1946 ALIU Red Flag list

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Dequoy and Fabiani: 1946 Art Looting Investigation Unit Final Report (Red Flag List of Names)

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Dr Hans Herbst : 1946 ALIU report
(note: as for the other networks above, the relations are taken from the mentions of Herbst in the bios of other Red Flag names.) 

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Nazi art looter Karl Haberstock had many, many contacts among art dealers and galleries

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This chart shows the links between several of the names on the "Agents of High Placed Nazis for Looting of Works of Art.
When there are so many names the graph becomes harder to read.  The table has 473 rows taken from the  1946 ALIU Report/

---

In future posts, we will describe how we are formatting the ALIU Red Flag list for import into Fusion Tables so that anyone can replicate (and maybe improve) the graphs. 
-----------------
transcription of names from FOLD3 document https://www.fold3.com/image/270079420

about this document:

Roberts Commission - Protection of Historical Monuments

National Archives Catalog ID: 1518815
National Archives Catalog Title: London Files, compiled 1943 - 1945
Series:London Files
Category: London File- British Element CC (Bunjes Papers, Ect.)
Date Range:1943 - 1945
Publication Title:
Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historical Monuments in War Areas (The Roberts Commission), 1943-1946
Content Source:
 The National Archives
Publication Number:
M1944
Content Source:
NARA
Source Publication Year:
2007
Language:
English, French, German
Country:
n/a
Footnote Job:
11-004
Footnote Publication Year:
2011
Record Group:
239
Short Description:
NARA M1944. Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, 1943-1946.
Roll:
0032

Declassified: April 23, 2001, Published 2007

Why?

What can researchers in art market networks and looted art networks learn from the approach of Dr. Paul-Philippe Paré and his team at the Dept. of Sociology - Western University? Video: Multilevel Models for Social Network Analysis.

Question: Why did some in the art world continue to traffic in Nazi looted art after the defeat of the Nazis? 

Is there anything in the personal biographies or the networks of the individuals involved that social scientists could use to predict this behavior?

Scientists have employed social network analysis to understand the forces driving behaviours such as smoking and gun ownership. Could a similar approach offer insights into the behaviour of dealing in looted or otherwise ill-gotten artworks - in particular after the death of Hitler and the defeat of the Nazi regime?  

What are the drivers for this behaviour? Can predictors be isolated and identified? What might they be: economic situation, business ties, family ties, friendship ties, personality traits, previous looting activity, geographical location, memberships in organisations, age, marital status, profession, education, time period, certain life events, or other factors ? 

What might emerge as the key factors that separate those who decided to deal in looted art after 1945 and those who chose not to deal in looted art after 1945. 

How might one go about setting up a robust analysis?
What datasets would be needed?
What methods?
What competence?

No answers here. Just questions