Henk Welther (1885-1947) - Zeilschepen in de haven

Henk Welther (1885-1947). Sailing ships in the harbor. Signed. Oil on canvas. Dimensions including frame 79x99 cm. Dimensions without frame 60x80 cm. The painting is in reasonably good condition with craquelure.

According to data from the Rijksbureau voor Kusthistorie in The Hague, the name Henk Welther may be a pseudonym for Aris Knikker. The RKD also reports that this pseudonym was possibly used between 1925 and 1970. Given that Henk Welther died in 1947, this date must be adjusted accordingly. An article by Mr. Heerkens Thijssen, a register broker and appraiser in Haarlem, in the Kunst en Antiek journaal of June/July 2005, shows that Henk Welther was a Hague art dealer who purchased unsigned works by, among others, Arnoud van Gilst Jan, Aris Knikker Jan Knikker Jr., and Henk Schallenberg, and added his own signature or that of H. Endlich or W. Markenstein. Works signed in this way could therefore be by different 'makers'.

The following additional information was obtained from a family member of Henk Welther.
Henk Welther was active in the Hague art scene. He was not without merit himself. However, according to his daughter-in-law, his main source of income was primarily from selling the work of others, for which he acted as an intermediary. Sometimes the work was signed, often not, and he would sign it under his own name, Henk Welther. This name was especially successful in America and Canada. The name of his mother, H Endlich, was mainly used for the German market.

In 1947, Henk Welther died in The Hague. This was probably not a natural death. His stock of paintings and all the money he had with him that day were never found. The police were never able to solve the case. After that year, no signed work by H Welther, H Endlich, and W Markenstein by Henk Welther could have come onto the market.