Wouwerman is best known as a painter of horses. However, he rarely depicted just one of the animals, and in such an intimate setting (as opposed to his usual groups of riders in landscapes). This tiny gem was described as ‘the little pissing horse’ as early as 1709 when in the famous collection of Jan Pietersz Zomer. Some 30 years later, the Amsterdam artist Nicolaas Verkolje owned it and made a print after it.