A painter at work in a boat, possibly the artist Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël

From 1880 onwards Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël (1828-1903) and his pupil W.B. Tholen spent a few summers together in the surroundings of Giethoorn and Kampen, where Tholen's parents lived. During these trips, the two artists would lodge in small working-class houses and venture out at day-time into the rugged peat moors.

Besides experiencing these sojourns as a great source of inspiration, Gabriel also underlined their scholastic character. Only by making preliminary sketches 'en-plein-air' would an artist sufficiently train his visual memory and be capable of recapturing an impression in the seclusion of the studio. In a letter to Tholen dating 14 October 1879 Gabriel expanded on this subject-matter: 'neen, weten is beter, tracht U dat meester te worden door veel, veel buiten te werken en alles gade te slaan opdat gij later aan een enkele blik genoeg hebt om daarna na Uw werkplaats te gaan en het terstond, alvorens een tweede indruk te ontvangen, op het doek te zetten en zulk een doek, hoe groot ook, in een paar dagen in elkander te zetten en het des noods vooraf(voltooid) te kunnen verklaren' (H.F.W. Jeltes, Brieven aan Gabriel, Oud Holland, 1926, pp.117-127).

In the present lot Tholen has portrayed Gabriel silently executing outdoor sketches in the shade of a parasol and herewith has also visualized his tutor's artistic ideals.

Jacques Goudstikker (1897-1940) joined the family art business in 1919, the gallery having been established by his grandfather Jacob in the middle of the previous century. In the following two decades, Jacques’ vision led the gallery to a central position in the art market for Old Master paintings, both in Amsterdam and internationally. His commercial and curatorial leadership, as seen in his ambitious catalogue designs and his themed exhibitions, influenced major collectors like Daniel G. van Beuningen or Heinrich Baron Thyssen Bornemisza and he worked to enhance museum collections at the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, the Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York to name a few.

Known as an avid arts enthusiast, Jacques enjoyed a diverse and artistic network of friends and clients. In 1937 he married to the Viennese singer, Desirée (Desi) von Halban Kurz (1912-1996), their only child, Eduard (Edo) was born in 1939. But Jacques’ personal and professional success came to an abrupt stop in May 1940. A few days after the German invasion before the German occupation of The Netherlands, Jacques, who was Jewish, fled with his family, boarding one of the last available ships to safety. His life was cut tragically short during their escape to England when he died as a result of a fall onboard.

Research into the Goudstikker collection and gallery inventory left behind in The Netherlands – an estimated 1,400 artworks taken over by Alois Miedl and Hermann Göring – has been a two-decade long commitment by his heir to Jacques’ legacy and at the forefront of present-day restitution efforts.

This portrait of the painter P. J. C. Gabriel at work by Willem Bastiaan Tholen was restituted to the heir of Jacques Goudstikker in 2022.