1287 - Nicolaes Verkolje (1673, Delft – 1746, Amsterdam)

Nicolaes Verkolje (1673, Delft – 1746, Amsterdam) Double Portrait of a Girl with Flowers and a Boy with a Bird and a Dog The painting depicts an aristocratic or wealthy bourgeois pair of siblings standing at the railing of a balcony draped with a dark red cloth. While the older girl, with her hair artfully pinned up and adorned with flowers, is tying a blue ribbon around a garland of flowers, her younger brother holds a bird in his right hand and cradles a black-and-white miniature spaniel in his left arm; the dog is looking up at the bird. Both children are gazing into an indeterminate distance beyond the viewer, which broadens the possibilities for interpretation. The deeper symbolism of the painting—which reflects childlike innocence and the children’s play with great sensitivity—includes not only the animals and the garland of flowers but also the white Madonna lily standing in a pot on the balcony on the left side of the painting. With extremely soft, subtle lighting and a delicate blend of colors, Verkolje has rendered the scene and the figures themselves in a way that seems to sculpt them three-dimensionally. Moreover, the painter has masterfully captured the flowing fabrics here, whose rustling one can almost hear. Due to its subject and theme, this work undoubtedly ranks among the most beautiful and significant works by Verkolje to have appeared on the art market in recent decades. At the same time, it strikingly demonstrates why Verkolje is also referred to as the painter “with the velvet hand.” Nicolaes Verkolje likely received his first art lessons from his father, Jan; after completing his training, he moved to Amsterdam in 1700, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Due in part to the meticulous care with which he executed his works, his surviving, known oeuvre comprises only about 100 paintings—portraits, genre scenes, and historical paintings—in addition to which he created drawings and prints. Verkolje drew inspiration from Gabriel Metsu and Adriaen van der Werff, using these influences to develop his own style. In the first half of the 18th century, Nicolaes Verkolje became Holland’s equivalent response to French Baroque painting. It is noteworthy that Verkolje’s works were also purchased in the 18th century by enthusiastic collectors from other countries. His “velvety touch,” his flair for beautiful color combinations, and his eye for detail appealed to viewers of his time. And through these qualities, he made even the most dramatic stories from mythology and the Bible seem more accessible and enjoyable. He was praised by art biographers of his time, such as Arnold Houbraken and Jan van Gool, as a great master and an exceptional draftsman. In recent years, as interest in the 18th century has grown, so too has the attention paid to Verkolje, leading to his rediscovery. In 2011, the painter’s oeuvre was celebrated in a major retrospective at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and an accompanying catalog: “Nicolaas Verkolje (1673–1746): de fluwelen Hand.” Today, the artist’s paintings are found in renowned collections around the world, such as the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Louvre in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Oil on canvas, lined; 83 cm x 77.5 cm. Framed. The painting is listed by the RKD in The Hague as an authentic work by the artist (see online at www.rkd.nl/images/12499). /P/Provenance: From the Kai Wünsche Collection, Die Weisse Villa, Hamburg. Auction at Pescheteau-Badin-Godeau & Leroy, Drouot Richelieu, Paris, June 23, 1995, Lot 97 (“Portrait d’enfants accoudés à un balcon drapé”); Konrad O. Bernheimer Art Gallery, London and Munich; TEFAF, Maastricht 1997; acquired from the previous owner and has since been in a private collection in northern Germany. Oil on canvas, relined. The painting is registered by the RKD in The Hague as an authentic work by the artist (see online www.rkd.nl/images/12499 ).