Portrait of Victor Grossier
| Dating | presumably April 1897 |
|---|---|
| Material / technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 50 x 30 cm |
| Literature | |
| Exhibitions | |
| Provenance | Grossier Family, Maastricht, the Netherlands |
| Current residence | private property Heerlen, the Netherlands |
| Signature | b.l. with paint: HRI GOOVAERTS |
| Headings | verso, with black paint, possibly not written by Goovaerts: A. VICTOR GROSSIER // NAT. 13 NOV. 1827 // [symbol indicating the date of death] 16 SEPT. 1864 verso on the stretcher, label with inscription: eigendom van L. Grossier-Wijnands [meaning: owned by L. Grossier-Wijnands] |
| Remarks | Achilles Victor Grossier (1827-1864) was a pharmacist in Maastricht. Henri Goovaerts painted his portrait and that of his wife Sophie Albert on the same size, probably intended as a diptych. Victor Grossier had died long before this portrait was painted. Goovaerts must have used an old drawing or photograph for making this painting. Portrait photography did exist already, but by using color, a delicate paint stroke and a large format the painter was in those days, more than the photographer, able to let someone revive. The portraits of Victor Grossier and his wife Sophie were probably commissioned by their son Albert Grossier and his wife Louisa Wijnands, fellow townspeople and contemporaries of Henri Goovaerts. They also had two of their children be portrayed by Goovaerts. A second portrait of Victor Grossier is known, which is almost the same, except that on that one Grossier is only depicted up to the upper arms. It was not unusual that several copies of a portrait were made for different family members. At least we know that Henri Goovaerts did this with his highly praised portrait of Maria Hustinx-Hollman from 1906. |