Floris Arntzenius: jars and flowers

(Pieter Floris Nicolaas Jacobus)

Floris Arntzenius

(Soerabaja 1864 – 1925 the-Hague)

Dutch painter

From before posting, featuring etcher Hendrik Christiaan Spruit and his  linoleum-etchings and ginger jar compositions, to painter Floris Arntzenius I think is an understandable and not to big a leap. Both men were afterall contemporaries, lived and worked in the city of the-Hague and both enjoyed an Indonesian youth and background. I guess they must have known one another. The contrast however between the world of color and black and white couldn't be better illustrated.

At the age of eleven Floris was send to the Netherlands from Java (Netherlands Dutch Indies) to Amsterdam were he was raised by an uncle and aunt. He visited the Royal Arts Academy (RAvBK) in Amsterdam 1883-1888 and later the Royal Arts Academy (KAvSK) in Antwerp

In his Amsterdam class were painter-etcher Willem Witsen (1860-1923) and later famous Dutch (the Amsterdam Impressionist) painters Isaac Israëls (1865-1934), George Breitner (1857-1923) who also did (below left) a ginger jar with anemones as did another class mate painter Floris Verster (1861-1927) famous for his flowers still-lives (below right).

Besides, Breitner and Witsen were among the earliest Dutch city photographers recording the city views and its inhabitants extensively on glass-plate negatives.

Arntzenius, perhaps because of his Indonesian background, moved with his widowed mother to the-Hague in 1892 becoming the 3 impressionist painter of but of the-Hague: the Netherlands capitol. His works are collected in our National Museums and in private collections.

He was one of the most versatile Dutch painters: famous for his watercolours he also was a master in painting rainy day street and city life (of the Haque), Dutch landscapes, Victorian beach life, and in later life grew into a highly regarded and requested portrait painter.

But placed between the text of this posting here are his flower paintings often with iconic and aesthetic ginger jars (and nasturtiums) an almost exclusively Dutch composition and “invention”. As I’ve explained in my earliest Blogging career (follow the tags gingerjar) and throughout.

His wife Alida Margaretha Maria (Lide) Doorman (1872-1954) and his eldest (of 4) daughters Elize Claudine (Lies) (1902-1982) were also able painters and they too embraced flowers and (maybe the family's) ginger jars as their subjects. 

Above: daughter Lies, flowers in pot by her and portrait of her by her father.  

Above: one of the loveliest: by Lide Arntzenius, the painters wife.

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.  

(Today, there has been an addition to the recent posting on Lina Ammer. For those who might be interested)   

Ginger jars and flowers, Part I

Ginger jars and flower still life. Part I

Anke Brokstra
Contemporary Dutch opera singer and painter.

Nasturtiums in old blue ginger jar

I’ve had for a long time the wish of doing a posting on this subject, one of the most pleasing and aesthetic combinations for over a century in still life art. I find. What better time than autumn to enjoy the ginger jar filled with autumn flowers: anemones, nasturtiums, chrysanthemums, Chinese lanterns, a branch with red berries or rose hips?

A survey into the historical context and wondering about this composition, endlessly repeated by Dutch painters, to be perhaps a local affair or an international recognized theme.
There are, but not many, examples on woodblock prints. So a selection of paintings in oil will have to do the illustrations.

It is told that a student of Jan Voerman sr. (1857–1941) on her way to the studio lessons saw on a boat a large soda-filled pot with the “most exquisite blues and grays” and telling her teacher about it. On his advice she went back and she was allowed to buy the pot from the woman on the boat and she brought it to the studio where it served as a painting ornament in floral still life lessons. The pot later came in the Voerman family and Jan sr. painted it. (above)

His son Jan Voerman jr. (1890-1976), from the Verkade Albums (see the earlier posting) also contributed a wonderful ginger jar composition. (left).

They were among the first of the modern Dutch painters to use the decorative strenght and beauty of the ginger jar. And Vincent, and many others ofcourse.

The classic Quin dynasty (1644-1912) glazed pots were both used as storage and gift pots. Holding and storing preserved vegetables, herbs and spices, not only ginger. And used as New Year gifts. Chinese New Year, not parallel with western N.Y. but later so often decorated with spring symbols.

Or wedding gifts decorated with the Chinese “double happiness” symbol (right).

Or just plain, rural storage or export pots. With a few strikes of blue glaze only

I think two main and plain types, regularly seen, can be distinguished. Besides the luxury and richly glazed and decorated pots.

The deep green glazed 6 sided jar and the classic round grey-bluish glazed and sometimes with a rougher grey/blue/green glaze (picture)

Bertha Plekker-Müller (1883-1968) Narsturtiums in Ginger jar (right)

The 6 sided green type is very widely spread and around in huge numbers. In the Netherlands. I hardly see them in other countries. They must have been more related to some export products. There is not much literature on this matter to be found. Many paintings were produced (1880-1940) with this type of jar, fairly exclusively by Dutch turn of the century and Arts and Crafts period painters.

Who hasn’t started a collection of these jars, the nicest ones to find are the green-bluish ones, with chunky and fat glazes. Many have an age old feeling and often are really quite old (18/19th century) You can pick them up at any carboot sale for next to nothing.

The bluish grey classic Chinese pot is also a characteristic but not an exclusively Dutch find. I see them in England but hardly if ever in France or Germany. But maybe I am wrong.

This type of decoration and or motif often is seen in Dutch pots (right)

They are regularly and often offered as findings in 18th/19th century city dumps and archeological excavations. Having a matching lid raises prices considerably. But who needs a lid?

The extra patina from their stay in the ground even enhance their decorative value. (left)

These type of jars/pots are still affordable but never dead-cheap fleemarket finds.

Closing this Part I is again a contemporary and internationally renowned Dutch still life painter: Henk Helmantel (1945- ) and his Autumn Jar with rose-hips composition.

I can understand readers will feel that after reading this posting they cannot live without such a decorative necessarie in the autumnal house and will immediately start hunting for a nice specimen.

To be continued soon...............

Octobert 17th:

The artist Anke Brokstra who kindly gave permission to use the lovely first picture of this posting told me the original painting in oil is still for sale at € 600.

Katherine H. MacDonald

Katherine H. MacDonald

(british ?) printmaker

This is probably one of the nicest but enigmatic pictures I have ever found on the Internet. A lady in the USA (thank you Maure !) had found it before me on the Internet. I've not been able to locate where it came frome sofar. And I tried hard.
I love Gingerjars and I love Nasturtiums. It also put me up with a very unknown woodblock printmaker. There is nothing at all to be found on (non paying) internet sites or what so ever. No details on her life, no other works but the following 3 pictures I came across in old auction cataloques. (The last 2 of rather poor quality)

"Cup of Gold", 10" x 8"

So: any information on Katharine H. would be very welcome.

Käte Hoch

Käthe Hoch (1873-1933)

nr.1

Why is it that so many artists I admire have left so little traces (footsteps) on the planet. When I saw my first Käthe Hoch I was thrilled and I won it on Ebay, I just had to have it. To win is not the phrase, I simply outbid the rest ofcourse.

Searching the Internet I was lucky to stumble upon another some time after. The first came to me from Germany and the other one I found in a New York based internet-shop. The seller happy to make a deal.

nr. 2

I can't find anything on her life or other works other then this Italian auction announcement of an oil on canvas signed and dated 1927: "Stilleben mit Stiefeln". Still life with boots. Which is not exactly my cup of tea.

All other information on Käte Hoch would be very welcomed.