6637 - Drölling, Martin

Drölling, Martin Interior, presumably featuring the artist’s children by the fireplace. Red chalk on handmade paper; on the reverse: two red chalk studies of a sleeping cat on a child’s chair. 19.8 x 27.3 cm. Signed with a two-line inscription. Circa 1795. Although Martin Drölling’s career began promisingly—he was trained by Jean-Baptiste Greuze through the mediation of Madame Vigée le Brun—he never quite managed to establish himself successfully. Nevertheless, his domestic interior scenes in particular became widely circulated as prints. He found inspiration for his genre paintings within his family circle; his own children often served as models. The seated boy depicted here could be his son Michel-Martin Drölling, whose artistic success would far surpass that of his father. A comparison with a portrait of the son in a private collection suggests that the print dates from around 1795. The standing girl seen from behind would therefore be his younger daughter, Louise-Adéone, who also made a name for herself as a painter. Provenance: Bernhard Houtakker, Amsterdam (according to information provided by the previous owners). - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is usually not specified in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.