Portrait of an artist (copy after Bronzino)
| Dating | 1891 |
|---|---|
| Material / technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 94 x 79 cm |
| Literature | Van der Pols-Harris, S., Old master paintings: an illustrated summary catalogue, Den Haag, Zwolle 1992, cat.no. 332 |
| Exhibitions | Amsterdam 1892, June (Rijksakademie van beelden kunsten), exhibition of works made during the Prix de Rome-tour Maastricht 1966 (Bonnefantenmuseum), 'H. Goovaerts' |
| Provenance | 1892 purchase from Henri Goovaerts by Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten Amsterdam 1954 purchase from Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten Amsterdam by present owner |
| Current residence | Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, objectnumber R44, residence Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome |
| Signature | |
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| Remarks | This is one of the copies Goovaerts made on commission of the Dutch State Academy of Art during his study trip through Southern Europe. The original painting by Agnolo Bronzino (1532-1534) is in the Uffizi Galery in Florence. The suggestion to copy this painting by Bronzino came in August 1891 from Goovaerts' teacher at the Dutch State Academy, August Allebé. Shortly before Henri Goovaerts had sent some works made in Rome to the State Academy. Allebé noted with pleasure that Goovaerts made progress: ‘There is more seriousness in [your studies] than before and I trust that this will be intensified under the influence of Bronzino and the entire Florentine school.’ In several letters afterwards Allebé complains about the varnish layer of the painting. This was sticky as a result of which all kinds of substance that were hard to remove had been stuck during transport to Amsterdam. Therefore Allebé advised Goovaerts to send the following copy (after Botticelli’s Spring) unvarnished to Amsterdam where Allebé himself could put a layer of varnish on the canvas. |