ANTIQUE DUTCH GENRE OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS: After Jozef Israels, Girl Reading Letter, Cat Playing With Yarn

We are offering this charming antique oil painting on canvas of a Dutch genre scene. A young maiden is seated at a table, reading a letter over a piping hot pot of tea. She has a wistful smile on her face. Is the letter from a secret admirer? Her swain who is off on a military campaign? A playful kitten stalks a ball of yarn at her feet. The background features rustic cottage furniture, decorative porcelain, and a classical statue is displayed on a mirrored dresser.

The painting is signed signed "Après Israel". Apres translated from the French refers to "after", and in this case a copy, ( after an admired painting), done well over 100 years ago. We assume the artist being copied was the Dutch Jozef Israels, with the "s" omitted, as he was known for his sciences of everyday Dutch life. Josef Israëls did NOT paint this scene, but an artist who admired his work created their version of one of his paintings.

Here is some info on Israëls, the artist who was copied in this work:

Israëls was born January 27, 1824 in Groningen, Holland, and died on August 12, 1911 in Scheveningen, Holland.

He was brought up in the Jewish faith and destined to become a rabbi.  His stony interest in drawing grew, and at age 16 his father finally relented and sent him to Amsterdam to study his beloved art. During the day he worked in the studio of Jan Kruseman and at night painted at the Royal Academy under Jan Pieneman. Both of these mentors were leading portrait painters of the day.  He went to Paris to study a short time with historical painter Francois Picot, and also studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

But in 1855, the humble fisher-folk of Zandboort, a remote village on the northern coast of Holland, changed the direction of his art.  He was captivated by their daily routine, their natural, simple existence, with its sorrows and joys, not influenced by the requirements of society in the large cities. He sought to capture scenes of their lives on canvas.

Israëls became the leading member of the group of landscape painters known as the"Hague School", during his lifetime he was known as "the most respected Dutch artist of the second half of the nineteenth century."

Notes: Please view the numerous, detailed photos for an accurate appraisal of this item's condition. This charming painting really is showing it's age. Eons ago it was taken off its original stretcher strips, and was relined onto a "fresh" canvas. This wasn't the most professional job, and as you can see it is flopping off. It is missing portions of the original canvas along the borders and is a sizable oval piece missing on the left hand side (pictured). There are numerous areas where the paint is worn, scuffed, scraped, and chipped off, exposing the fragile canvas beneath. There are old repairs where I assume there were tears in the canvas. This is visible in the area of the hands and background tiles.

Fair

24 by 20."

Fine Art, Paintings

18%

Carole La Rose | (203) 645-4167 | croneandhagantiques@gmail.com

Pickup Details

Private Location

Oxford, CT 06478

When to Pickup

Sunday, 4/10, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Ask a Question

Report Item