A farm scene with a woman and child feeding ducks by a stream

An artist of the 'Haagse School' (The Hague School) and an active member of the Pulchri Studio artists collective (where he served variously as librarian, secretary and treasurer), Van Borselen was above all interested in capturing the mood of the scenes he depicted. In 1857 he entered a landscape of swaying willows into an exhibition organised by the Pulchri Studio, which was purchased for 1,200 guilders by the avid art collector Thierry baron van Brienen (1814-1863); from this point onwards van Borselen's most popular subject became 'wilgen, wolken en wuivend riet' (willlows, clouds and waving reeds), as demonstrated so perfectly by the present drawing (T. de Liefde-van Brakel, Wind en Wilgen. Jan Willem van Borselen 1825-1892. Schilder van het Hollandse polderlandschap, Alkmaar, 2002, p. 23).