Lot 83
  • 83

Jozef Israëls

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • Jozef Israëls
  • A Young Woman from Katwijk
  • signed J. Israels (lower right)
  • oil on panel
  • 11 3/4 by 15 7/8 in.
  • 29.8 by 40.3 cm

Provenance

J.H. Sala, Leiden (in circa 1862)
A.R. Dunlop, Rotterdam (in 1863)
Jan de Kuyper, Rotterdam, the Hague (before 1880 and sold: Frederik Muller, May 30, 1911, lot 61,illustrated as La triocteuse)
Private Collection (acquired circa 1915)
Thence by descent

Exhibited

Amsterdam, Arti et Amicitiae, 1862, no. 94b
Paris, Salon, 1863, no. 974 (lent by A.R. Dunlop)
Brussels, Salon, 1863, no. 615 (lent by A.R. Dunlop)
Rotterdam, Academie, Tentoonstelling van Moderne Schilderijen te dezer stede, 1880, no. 94 (lent by J. de Kuyper)
Amsterdam, Panorama-Gebouw, Tentoonstelling van Schilderijen, Teekeningen, Schetsen en Etsen. Vervaardigd door Jozef Israëls, 1885
Rotterdam, Pro Patria, Rotterdam Kunstkring, Israëls-tentoonstelling, no. 17

Literature

E.G.O. [A.C. Loffelt], 'Tentoonstelling-Israëls te Amsterdam. I.', Het Vaderland, April 20, 1885
E.G.O. [A.C. Loffelt], 'Israëls-Tentoonstelling, II', Het Vaderland, September 13, 1894
'De Israëls-Tentoonstelling. I.', Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant,  September 6, 1894
Max Eisler, 'Zandvoort 1855', Elseviers Geïllustreerd Maandschrift, 21(1911), vol. 42, p. 285, illustarated p. 276
Max Eisler, Josef Israëls, London 1942, illustrated pl. VII
Dieuwertje Dekkers, Jozef Israels, een succesvol schilder van het vissergenre, diss. University of Amsterdam 1994, p. 154.

Condition

On stable panel; under UV: a few spots of inpainting in sky have discolored.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The present work's style suggests Israëls painted it around 1862.  The composition is related to paintings such as The Day Before the Parting, 1862 (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), or Fishermen's Children, 1863 (Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam), or The Shepherd (1863, Toledo Museum of Art).  With the present work Israëls used clearly delineated and closed forms, the colouring is warm but already more in tonal harmony than the bright colors of his fishermen's paintings of the late 1850s. The detail in treatment is consistent with Israëls' style of the 1860s, especially the modeling of the woman's face or the basket.  It is not exactly clear what sort of work the young woman is doing. According to some contemporary critics she is sewing, but in later references it is suggested that she is busy with knitting or mending. Such household activities were frequently portrayed in Israëls' works of the first half of the 1860s. The brushwork is visible, but does not show the broader and thicker application of paint typical of this work in the 1870s.

What is so intriguing about this painting and sets it apart from others of the period, is its small scale and choice of panel as the support. Usually a small panel indicates the function of a preliminary study.  Indeed, the present work ressembles a study in its use of light and shade on the figure or the sketchy bricks. In fact, one of the artist's critics described it as an "esquisse" (sketch) . Yet the compositions's fine detai, its exhibition at important venues, and critics' commentary, suggest A Young Woman from Katwijk can be considered a finished work (see:"Tentoonstelling van schilderijen in de kunstzalen Arti et Amicitiae, te Amsterdam," Algemeen Handelsblad, October 10, 1862; Kunstkronijk, 1863, p. 72, illustrated opp. p. 70; "'Fransche brieven, Tweede bezoek. Parijs 29 mei", Algemeen Handelsblad, June 1,1863; C. De Sault, "Salon de 1863," Essais de critique d'art, Paris 1864, p. 105; Eugène van Bemmel, 'Le Salon de 1863 à Bruxelles', Revue Trimestrielle, XL. 1863, p. 196 
Emille Leclercq, 'Exposition de Bruxelles', Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1863, vol. 15, p. 384; 'Exposition des Beaux-Arts (Bruxelles), l'Indépendance belge, August 24, 1863)