Willem van Leen Dordrecht 1753 - 1825 Delftshaven

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Description

Willem van Leen
two green parakeets on a branch
signed or bears inscription in black lead, verso: WvLeen a Paris
Inv.nr. N 261
watercolour and gouache, within grey wash framing lines

Provenance

Kunstlievend Genootschap Pictura, Groningen (L.2028);
With P. Scheen, The Hague, 1954;
Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 14 November 1983, lot 78, reproduced

Exhibited

Amsterdam/Dordrecht 1994-5, cat. no. 56

Literature

P.A. Scheen, Lexicon Nederlandse beeldende kunstenaars, vol.1, The Hague 1969, reproduced fig. 210

Catalogue Note

Along with Abraham Meertens and Willem van Royen, Willem van Leen was one of Aert Schouman's more accomplished followers (though not in fact ever his pupil). Some of his watercolours were directly based on works by Schouman, while others were original inventions. A watercolour by Schouman showing two specimens of the same type of parakeet, but in different poses, was sold, New York, Christie's, 22 January 2004, lot 172, and another variant by van Leen was sold, The Hague, Van Stockum, 23/25 February 1943, lot 1636.

An inscription by van Leen on this second autograph version of the present drawing notes that the birds depicted themselves came from the collection of the celebrated ornithological scholar, François Levaillant (1753-1828). It also records that the drawing was made in Paris in 1789, towards the end of the second of van Leen's three lengthy trips to the French capital (in 1773-6, 1788-9 and 1808-9). It seems very likely that the present drawing too dates from around 1789.