with inscription ‘m’ (verso)
red and black chalk, watermark Strasburg lily in a crowned crest, with letters VR
40.9 x 26.4 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, The Netherlands.

According to Van Eijnden and Van der Willigen, Brondgeest’s interest in drawing was first sparked when he visited the collector Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798), one of the greatest drawings collectors of his time, at a young age.[1] His interest in drawing was so profound that the artist Jean Bernard (1765-1833) encouraged Albertus’ parents to have him trained by the slightly elder and celebrated landscape painter Pieter Gerardus van Os (1776-1839). He received drawing lessons from Van Os for several years and later continued his training with Jan Hulswit (1766-1822). Later still, when he became acquainted with the painter Wouter Johannes van Troostwijk (1782-1810), Brondgeest took up the brush and gained considerable success as a painter. [2]

Brondgeest was not alone in his keen interest in drawing; at the turn of the 19th century draughtsmanship flourished in Holland and to meet the artists’ need to draw after models, a growing number of ‘tekengenootschappen’ (drawing societies) were founded. One such society was ‘Zonder Wet of Spreuk’ in Amsterdam, which was founded in circa 1807 and existed until 1822,[3] and amongst its members were Van Os, Hulswit and Brondgeest himself.[4] The small, private, society had fourteen members who regularly (on Mondays) came together to draw figure studies from models.

The present drawing beautifully demonstrates Brondgeest’s keen interest in model drawing, although the subject of this sheet was probably taken from everyday life rather than from models. The spontaneous character of the drawing, which juxtaposes the elderly and the youthful, seem to suggest that the sitters were from the artist’s direct circle of friends or family. Brondgeest captures the features of the two heads with great accuracy; the wrinkles of the elderly man and his delicate grey hair wavering in the wind and the delicate facial features of the youthful lady are all drawn with great precision. Drawings like this appear to be rather rare in Brondgeest’s œuvre, but the sheet can be compared to a smaller drawing, signed and dated 1833, showing various head studies which was on the art market in 2001.[5]

[1] R. van Eijnden and A. van der Willigen, 'Geschiedenis der Vaderlandsche Schilderkunst, sedert de helft der XVIII eeuw', Haarlem, 1830 [reprint, Amsterdam, 1979], vol. III, pp. 272-273.
[2] R. van Eijnden and A. van der Willigen, 'op. cit.', p. 273.
[3] L.A. Schwartz, 'The Dutch Drawings in The Teyler Museum. Artists born between 1740 and 1800', Haarlem, Ghent and Doornspijk, 2004, p. 29.
[4] R.-J. te Rijdt, ‘Figuurstudies van het Amsterdamse particuliere tekengenootschap ‘Zonder Wet of Spreuk’ (ca. 1808-1819)’, Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 1990, vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 223-244.
[5] Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, 6 November 2001, lot 247.