Lot 112: Barbara van Houten (Dutch, 1862-1950)

A still life with hydrangea, amaryliss and rhododendrons in terracotta pots signed 'BE.v.Houten' (upper right) oil on canvas 157 x 97.5 cm. in the original oak frame NOTES Barbara Elisbeth van Houten was born in Groningen in 1862 and moved to The Hague in 1869 when her father - the famous statesman Samuel van Houten - was chosen as a member of the Tweede Kamer der Staten Generaal. Barbara was a frequent guest at the home of her uncle Hendrik Willem Mesdag and her aunt Sientje van Houten, who lived in the adjoining house in the Laan van Meerdervoort, The Hague. Both Mesdag and his wife had a great influence on Barbara's artistic career and stimulated her enourmously. At the age of fifteen, she visitied the Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in The Hague. After studies amongst others in Paris and Amsterdam, she eventually returned to The Hague. For a substantial part of her life Barbara took care of her father's children from his second marriage. After his death in 1931 she permanently moved to the appartment in the 'Panorama Mesdag', where she already had her studio. Although Barbara's oeuvre contains landscapes, portraits as well as still lifes, she is mostly known for her colourful flower-pieces. The present lot is a perfect example of Barbara's preference for plants and flowers and belongs to a series of large-scale canvasses she executed in the seclusion of her studio.