Jean de Chezeaulx and the Early History of Paulus Potter's "Bull" (1647) (Instant Harmony Essay Series)

On 27 May 1664, an Amsterdam newspaper announced that three paintings by Paulus Potter would be auctioned the following day at the tavern of a certain Jean de Chezeaulx. The largest of the three was undoubtedly Potter’s most famous painting, The Bull. The second depicted the mythological Europa on the back of Jupiter disguised as a bull, of which only the bull’s head has survived, in Dublin. The smallest was probably a panel that now hangs in Munich, Peasant Family with Livestock. In a new piece of detective work, the music and art historian Thiemo Wind attempts to answer the question: was De Chezeaulx merely providing a platform for the auction, or was he himself the earliest owner of the three Potter paintings? Read more