An Expertise by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot

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of Art Expertise –
An Expertise by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot


Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930)
(picture: dbnl.org)

Present whereabouts are unknown to me; plese contact me if you do know more (picture: DS)

Ein Rentmeister

This is for everybody interested in Gerard ter Borch. And for anybody interested in expertises. Because we show here – a premiere – the expertise by which Dutch connoisseur Cornelis Hofstede de Groot authenticated the above picture in 1923 as a picture by Gerard ter Borch.

For connoisseurs of Gerard ter Borch we have to say that the above picture – published here also for the very first time, was dismissed by S. J. Gudlaugsson. It’s No D 89 in the Gerard ter Borch-oeuvre catalogue, but you can’t see it in the catalogue, but (only?) here.

Why do we have that expertise? Because it is in our album of expertises (use blue link below).

(Picture: DS)

S. J. Gudlaugsson (p. 284; ›Zusätze‹):
»D 89 Ein Rentmeister.
Er sitzt an seinem Arbeitspult, über diesem eine Tafel.
Der obere Teil der Wände ist von Büchergestellen verdeckt.
Vor dem Pult steht ein Tisch mit orientalischem Teppich,
auf diesem lose Papierblätter und Hefte. Der
Rentmeister, der eine Feder in seiner rechten Hand
hält und einen Pergamentumschlag in der linken,
wendet sich einem schwarz gekleideten Landmann zu,
der rechts steht und eine Goldmünze in der Rechten
hält, eine Börse in der Linken.
Bezeichnet und 1676 datiert.
Für den Kunsth. Reyre in London, 1923 von Hofstede
de Groot als Ter Borch beurteilt. – Eine Photographie
dieses Bildes wurde mir erst nach Abschluss der obigen
Liste bekannt; es handelt sich um ein Werk der Haarlemer
Schule und steht Thomas Wyck wie auch Job Berckheyde
stilistisch nahe.«

(Picture: DS)

»The undersigned has carefully examined a picture, painted on wood, canvas copper, high 21 3/4 wide 19 inches (55 x 48 c M.), representing a merchant sitting, turned to the left, at a desk in his office; the upper parts of the walls are covered with book shelves, above the desk is a slate; before the desk is a table with a Turkey carpet, on which are sheets of papers & thin books in wrappers. The merchant, who has a pen in his right and a parchment envelope in his left hand, turns himself to a man in black, who stands on the right & and who has a golden coin in his right and a purse in his left hand. The undersigned considers this picture as an authentic, caracteristic, authentically signed and dated (1676) work by Gerard ter Borch.

Corn. Hofstede de Groot
1923«

[note: obviously we are refraining here from our principle of publishing only expertises of the ›5-pages-explanation for an opinion‹-type; this is obviously a certificate, backed by the authority of the undersigned, and as such a document (also of style), or better: an additional document for our collection. Since we note here: of actual identifiers, exept a signature and date, we are actually learning nothing; the power of the expert manifests itself (the power is exerted), but remains elusive, and cannot be criticized, since it, the power, refrains from revealing on what exact skills it is based and how it does operate]

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