Pieter Ernst Hendrik Praetorius

Pieter Ernst Hendrik Praetorius was a dilettante painter and draughtsman who was apprenticed to Jan Hulswit (1766–1822) in Amsterdam. The present still life with three quinces illustrates the high standard of drawing that was widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries even among non-professional artists like Praetorius. The quince (Cydonia oblonga), which comes from Asia, was known in southern Europe from antiquity. In northern Europe, on the other hand, it tended to be regarded as exotic. Its radiant, bright yellow fruit offers an ideal motif for watercolour painting. Praetorius demonstrates great mastery and a keen sense of colour in rendering the skin of the over-ripe fruits with its shimmering patches of green. The withered leaves are subliminally suggestive of human transience. Praetorius played an important role in Amsterdam’s cultural life, serving as administrative chairman of the city’s Rijksmuseum from 1852 to 1874. The portrait of him painted by Charles Edward Hodges is now in the museum’s collection.

8.500 €