This charming late 19th-century painting by Dutch artist Johannes Weiland (1856-1909) depicts a grandmother spinning yarn within a rustic cottage interior. She leans in, her lap covered in wool, as she operates the wheel. Her granddaughter looks on, somewhat in awe, while learning the family craft.
Weiland often produced scenes depicting rural families, which celebrate the beauty of kinship and tradition. They describe a world that's a far cry from smoke-filled industrial towns and this, in turn, made them popular for middle-class buyers.
The painting itself has an illustrious history having been shown at the Fine Art Rooms in Baltimore, at Christie’s New York, and finally at a mansion in Germany. It’s a museum-standard piece created with brushwork akin to a late Rembrandt and an appreciation of the warmth within working families.
Signed lower left and framed.
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Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 33” x 38½” / 84cm x 98cm
Year of creation: c. 1884
Condition: Overall very presentable. Canvas relined. Frame with some age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £10,561 achieved for an oil painting in 2000.
