Jozef Israels

Acquired directly from the artist by H. Terlet, vicar in Tjalleberd
Mr. H.J.W. Terlet, Notary in Joure (by descent), as confirmed in a letter, dated 4 September 1894
Mr. H. Terlet
Thence by descent

Anon, 'De groote Akademische wedstrijd in het Historie-Schilderen', Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 6 October 1847
Anon, 'Domheid en onrecht, in eene kunstzaak',  De Spektator, Vol. 7 (1847), pp. 129-140
J. Israels, Spanje, een reisverhaal, Den Haag 1899, pp. 49-50
J. Veth, 'De jeugd van Israels', Portretstudies en Silhouetten, Amsterdam 1908, p. 104
D. Dekkers, 'Jozef Israels en de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten te Amsterdam. Van kwekeling tot gevestigd schilder', Oud Holland, Vol. 101 (1987), No. 1, pp. 65-83
D. Dekkers (a.o.), Jozef Israels 1824-1911, Zwolle 1999, pp. 124-125

The canvas has been relined. Heavy craquelure throughout the canvas. Craquelures retouched in the foreground. Some overpaints in the sea in the middle part. One retouch approcximately 5 by 5 cm centrally in the upper part of the sky. Some outlines of the figures strengthened.
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The present lot was bought directly from the artist by H. Terlet, vicar of the Frisian village Tjalleberd. Jozef Israels knew the family Terlet well. In 1848 he painted a portrait of Alida Terlet, his landlady in the Warmoesstraat in Amsterdam, where he settled upon his return from Paris. As Dieuwertje Dekkers suggests in the catalogue she published in 1999, Israels moved to Amsterdam in 1847 to participate in the Prix de Rome competition that was organised by the Royal Academy of Arts. He must have seen this prestigious competition as a good way to make a name for himself in the early years of his artistic career. The eight participants of the Prix de Rome in 1847 were instructed to paint the subject 'The Deluge'. Jozef Israels' version of the subject, executed on a large size, always stayed in the hands of the Terlet family and was rediscovered only recently. At the time of the large Israels exhibitions of 1999-2000, the whereabouts of this important early picture were still unknown. 

The eight artists participating in the contest had to paint the subject within 4 months, starting from 21 June till 25 September 1874. It had to be executed in one of the studio's (so-called 'loges') of the Royal Academy, in accordance with the instruction to paint 'a composition of at least three and at most five figures'. The jury was divided. As a result of this, there was not one winning artist, but three artists were singled out as the best, Israels not being one of them. The Dutch art critics disagreed with this and actually praised Israels for his 'Deluge', as can be read in the magazine De Spektator and the newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant. Israels was very disappointed about the outcome of the competition, as he memorized in his book Spanje, een reisverhaal (published in 1899, pp. 49-50).

A preliminary oil sketch for the present lot is kept in the collection of the Royal Academy of Arts in Amsterdam.