Portrait of Jules Schaepkens van Riempst
| Dating | presumably circa October 1902 |
|---|---|
| Material / technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 135 x 95 cm |
| Literature | 'Veertig jaar Limburgsche Kunst', Het Vaderland, September 13, 1938 |
| Exhibitions | Maastricht 1938 (4-18 September), Dominican church, 'Limburgsche kunsttentoonstelling', cat.no 10 |
| Provenance | Jules M. I. Schaepkens van Riempst, Maastricht, the Netherlands |
| Current residence | Jules H. Schaepkens van Riempst, Belgium |
| Signature | b.l., in paint: HRI GOOVAERTS [underlined] |
| Headings | |
| Remarks | At the end of 1902, Henri Goovaerts and his family, who had been living in Düsseldorf for several years, stayed in Maastricht for a few months. The family moved in with Henri's parents, who then lived at 96 Capucijnenstraat. The reason for this temporary move to Maastricht was that Henri Goovaerts could complete his assignment from the City of Maastricht: copying a number of old mayoral portraits. During these months he also painted the portraits of several Maastricht dignitaries, including this portrait of Jules Schaepkens van Riempst senior. Servais Henri Jules Schaepkens van Riempst (1844-1925) was alderman in Maastricht from 1900 to 1919. He was also lieutenant colonel of the Maastricht Civic Guard and chairman of the Limburg historical and archaeological society (the ‘Geschied- en Oudheidkundig Genootschap Limburg’). He was a cousin of the famous Maastricht painters Theodore and Alexander Schaepkens. Jules Schaepkens van Riempst was married to Isabelle Hustinx, who was also portrayed by Goovaerts, possibly in the same period. In 1938 a reviewer of the newspaper Het Vaderland wrote about this painting: 'That [portrait] of J. Schaepkens van Riempst Sr. is an example of a family portrait – his model is dressed in the general's uniform of the militia on duty – as people before the war preferred in their appropriate vanity.' |