Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this unusual watercolour by the Belgian artist ADRIEN JOSEPH VERHOEVEN-BALL, who has signed the painting in the lower left hand corner and entitled it verso on a label 'Trying on Mistress' Hat' and No. 16, although on the remnants of a label at the bottom, it says 'Trying on Mistress' Bonnet'. The painting depicts a maid, wearing an apron tied at the back below her bustle, trying on her mistress's bonnet and looking at herself in the mirrored door of a wardrobe. The open hat box is at her feet. There is a work table against the wall on the right, with a domed box and an inkstand upon it.

This watercolour was obviously exhibited as it is numbered on the label. We note from a listing in The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood, that this artist lived in London for a while circa 1872-3, as he exhibited 2 genre paintings at Suffolk Street.

ADRIEN JOSEPH VERHOEVEN-BALL, was born in Antwerp on 7th August 1824. He was a painter of genre, flowers and also an engraver. He was a pupil of Leys and the Academy of Antwerp. For ten years he was the President of the Fine Arts Artistic Circle of Antwerp. He died in Antwerp on 24th April 1882.

One of his paintings 'La lecon de Dessin' is in the the Montreal Museum and the 'Portrait of Adrien Willaert' is in the Museum of Montpellier. (Source Benezit)

The painting was been newly double mounted in acid free mountboard to complement and is framed in its original 1 1/2" gilt frame. It is ready to hang.

Medium Watercolours with gum arabic and heightened with body colour.