David Joseph Bles (1821-1899) - De Vrijage - NO RESERVE

Biographies:

David Joseph (David) Bles (The Hague, September 20, 1821 – there, September 3, 1899) was a Dutch painter, watercolorist, draftsman, etcher, and lithographer. He is known for his genre scenes with 18th-century furnishings, often with a humorous twist. Bles was born in 1821 into a Jewish mercantile family as the son of Joseph David Bles and his wife Sara Wolf. The young David showed an aptitude for drawing and was admitted to the Hague Academy at the age of thirteen, where he studied from 1834 to 1840. He took lessons from 1838 to 1841 with Cornelis Kruseman. Afterwards he went to Paris, where around 1842 he studied under Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury. His influence is clearly visible in Bles’s early work. From 1843 to 1845 he again attended lessons at the Hague School of Art. In 1845 he became a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. In 1857, 1863, 1864, 1868 and 1869 he stayed in Paris, where he participated in the Paris Salon of those years. Bles was made an officer in the Order of the Oak Crown in 1863.

Museums:

Among others, the following museums hold works by David Bles: Teylers Museum in Haarlem, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Title: "The Betrothal"

Time: latter half of the 19th century

Canvas size: 37 x 45.5 cm.

The work is in good condition for its age. It has been varnished in the past, and has small/minimal damages (see photo). Also photos taken with a UV lamp are included: the signature is original plus small retouches, all on the outer edges of the canvas; nothing in the figures themselves.

The frame is still original and belongs with the painting; it is in very good condition and is also included free of charge with the work within the EU. Outside the EU, available only on request!

The work will be packed with the utmost care and sent internationally by registered mail.