Portrait of a Cato van Blaricum
| Dating | August 1912 |
|---|---|
| Material / technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 100 x 70 cm |
| Literature | |
| Exhibitions | |
| Provenance | 2022 Gift by private owner to present owner |
| Current residence | Collection Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht |
| Signature | geen |
| Headings | |
| Remarks | When Henri Goovaerts suddenly died on August 23, 1912, there were three large paintings in his studio that he was working on at the time: the painting of the Maastricht Civic Guard and two ladies portraits. One of the latter two is the portrait of Cato van Blaricum (1870-1945). Goovaerts previously portrayed her husband, doctor Mathieu Roebroeck. The portraits of the spouses have the same dimensions and are probably intended as pendants. The difference in detail between the two portraits makes painfully clear how sudden the painter's life ended. Cato's portrait was not yet finished. Her body, her clothing and the chair she sits in consist of only one or two layers of paint and the underdrawing is still visible in many places. The representation of her head is the most developed. In the biographical notes that Lily Goovaerts made about her husband's life, she writes that this portrait, despite the fact that it was not yet finished, was still purchased by the client, doctor Roebroeck. |