Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 19th Century.
Story
Imagine, if you will, that you’re the beautiful subject of this portrait, Henriette Cornelia Biben.
Cels was highly successful by this time and director of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Tournai. Previously, he’d spent several years working in Rome producing religious works for the Catholic Church and subsequently, various portraits for the Royal Family. Undoubtedly, you’d be a little nervous about his arrival and keen to present the correct image.
Context
During the 1820s, fashion was ever-evolving and, at times, bordering on the absurd. However, any decent society lady would seek to demonstrate their understanding of the latest garb for fear of social exclusion. Hair was a particular challenge as it needed to convey movement and buoyancy as if it had a life of its own. Various knots and loops emerged from the head and were skewed with decorative pins.
Henriette Cornelia Biben was born into a wealthy family and her father, Wilhelmus Anthonius Nienaber, worked as a politician. Her husband Martin Gerard Biben is recorded as a merchant and negotiant. They lived in Amsterdam. Here, we see her at age 35.
Learn more about Cornelis Cels in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29” x 33 / 73cm x 84cm
Year of creation: 1828
Frame: 19th century, ebonised with a gilt inner border
Labels & Inscriptions: Hand-written artist biography.
Signature: Middle left.
Condition: Canvas relined. Craquelure but the paint is stable. Minor scratches. One old repair. Frame with some light wear.
Artist Training: Under Joseph-Benoît Suvée
Academy Memberships: Accademia di San Luca in Rome, Academy of Antwerp, and the Academy of Amsterdam.
Public Collections: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam among others.
Artist’s auction maximum: £5,327
Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 19th Century.
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Cornelis Cels, Portrait of Henriette Cornelia Biben - Antique Oil Painting
