Simon van der Does
Amsterdam 1653 – Antwerp 1718

A River Landscape with Cattle, Sheep and a Young Girl Playing with a Dog
signed S.V. Does in the lower right

oil on canvas

19 x 22 3/8 inches (48.2 x 56.7 cm.)

PROVENANCE: Henry P. McIlhenny, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Estate sale Henry P. McIlhenny, Christie’s, New York, May 20 & 21, 1987, lot 138 where purchased by Private Collection, Chicago until the present time

Simon van der Does was a pupil of his father Jacob van der Does. Both specialized in landscapes with animals and their works are often confused. Simon’s pastoral scenes feature both northern and southern landscapes. He also studied with Karel du Jardin, Caspar Netscher and Gerard de Lairesse. Simon worked primarily in The Hague and London as well as for brief periods in Brussels and Antwerp. He was the teacher of Jan van Gool. The artist’s works can be found in the collections of numerous museums including those of Amsterdam, Cologne, Copenhagen, Hanover, The Hague, Mulhouse, Munich, Plymouth and Vienna.

Henry P. McIlhenny (1910-1986), the former owner of this painting, was Curator of Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1935-1964. He would later serve as a Trustee and ultimately their Chairman of the Board. Born into wealth (his grandfather invented the gas meter), Henry devoted his life to the study and acquisition of fine and decorative art. He was a student of Paul Sachs at Harvard and began seriously collecting while still in his twenties. This painting hung in his home on Rittenhouse Square (actually three houses combined into one), in which Henry loved to entertain surrounded by his collection. His hospitality was legendary and followed his dictum that “wealth must be used for the enjoyment of others”. When he died the flags in Philadelphia flew at half-mast. ¹ It is easy to discern why the quiet beauty of this softly illuminated scene would have appealed to such a man.

¹ Biographical information taken from Anne d’Harnoncourt’s untitled essay and John Richardson “Henry McIlhenny Maecenas of Rittenhouse Square” in Property from the Collection of Henry P. McIlhenny, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Christie’s, op. cit., unpaginated. Biographical information taken from Anne d’Harnoncourt’s untitled essay and John Richardson “Henry McIlhenny Maecenas of Rittenhouse Square” in Property from the Collection of Henry P. McIlhenny, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Christie’s, op. cit., unpaginated.

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