This mid-19th-century bust-length self-portrait depicts the German artist, Theodor Von Der Beek (1838-1921), wearing a hat with a peacock feather. Von Der Beek was a notable painter of portraits and genre subjects.
Looking intently towards the viewer (and indeed himself), he carries the air of a man with cultivated tastes. He’s thirty here in 1868 and on the cusp of producing some of his finest works. Born in Kaiserswerth, one of the oldest quarters of Düsseldorf, Von Der Beek’s father was a beer brewer and he was initially trained in the family business.
However, by the age of 18, Von Der Beek had enrolled at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, a world-renowned centre of artistic excellence. Artists travelled from across Europe and the USA to train at Düsseldorf, due to its superior teaching methods under director, Wilhelm von Schadow (1789-1862). Essentially, the focus was on honing one’s skills as a figure painter with the approach derived from a blend of old and new. Von Schadow believed in studying nature with careful observation and was fascinated by French Neoclassicism.
Students graduated from the Academy with advanced technical ability, often capable of precise handling akin to the Renaissance masters. Some turned their hands to history painting or religion, while others, such as Von Der Beek, painted domesticity - exquisite scenes of idealised everyday life.
In ‘Hide and Seek’ (1884), a young shepherd leans through the window of a dwelling in loving pursuit of an attractive peasant girl. However, much to his disappointment, he’s met with the glare of her mother, while she hides behind a wall. With exquisite colouring and precise draughtsmanship, it’s rendered deftly.
Love, or at least the quest for it, was the subject of numerous works with men usually portrayed as hapless suitors, rebuffed by perfectly poised females. At times, he transposed this theme to Italian cottages, following various sojourns. He was awarded a medal at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London for his achievements.
Towards the end of his career, he mainly produced portraits, residing in Düsseldorf for the remainder of his life.
He’s represented in various public collections including the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, Landesmuseum Mainz, Westphalian State Museum in Münster, Museum Wiesbaden, and Paisley Museum.
Inscribed on the reverse and held within a 19th-century gilt frame with fluted hollow and laurel leaf/berry D-section top edge.
Learn more about Theodor Von Der Beek in our directory.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 16½” x 19” / 42cm x 48cm
Year of creation: c. 1868
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed on the reverse of the frame, ‘Self-portrait of the painter Theodor von der Reek (or Reck or Beek) at the age of 30, born 1832/9, died 1921’.
Provenance: Private collection, Upper Bavaria, Germany.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £8,500 for ‘Arabischer Tanz’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, 19th Century Continental Pictures - Watercolours And Drawings, London, 18 Jun 1993 (lot 143).
Our reference: BRV2054
