Isaac Israëls

This intriguing sketch drawn hastily after life shows the Amsterdam painter, Thérèse Schwarze (1851–1918), on a balcony at Singel 514 in Amsterdam. The immediate environment of the location is portrayed in summary fashion but with the relevant local features. The striking silhouette of the Munt Tower can be seen in the background on the left. Israëls’ keen feeling for precise characterisation comes into its own here.

The famous painter, who was one of the most sought-after portraitists of her day, is elegantly clad and wears a sumptuous fashionable hat, which was her personal trademark, so to speak; the typical pince-nez has not been forgotten either. A further variant of this portrait drawing, which is recorded in the RKD in The Hague, was owned by the artist’s fellow painter, Lizzy Ansingh. According to an inscription on the verso, Schwartze temporarily used the rooms overlooking the Singel as a studio so that she could complete a large-format painting that was too big for her own studio. A founding member of the “Amsterdamse Joffers” and the driving force behind it, Thérèse Schwartze played a prominent role in the late 19th century Dutch art scene, thus being an example of female emancipation along with her fellow artists, Lizzy Ansingh, Sue Roberston and Coba Ritsema. This attractive sketchbook sheet is thus a cultural history document of some significance.