Johannes Bosboom

Private collection, Ottawa (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 7, 1998, lot 8, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

Although his early works included a number of cityscapes, Johannes Bosboom‘s reputation was established by his detailed and realistic depictions of the interiors of houses of worship. In 1836 he moved into a studio in The Hague, where he surrounded himself with seventeenth-century furniture and church ornaments which he used to provide authentic detail in his meticulous paintings of church interiors. Around 1850, Bosboom produced his first interiors of the synagogues of Amsterdam and The Hague. In his later depictions of the subject, such as the present work, the strong use of chiaroscuro echoes the work of the Dutch masters such as Rembrandt.