Anthon Gerard Alexander, Ridder van Rappard Dutch, 1858-1892

J.W. Brouwer a.o., Anthon van Rappard. Companion & Correspondent of Vincent van Gogh. His life and all his works, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam/Maarsen 1974, p. 126

The present lot was executed in 1890-1891, when Van Rappard found his motives in the Préviniaire cotton-dyeing plant in Haarlem. He met the owner of the plant at the art society 'Kunst zij ons Doel' in Haarlem. In his sketches of individual workmen, Van Rappard strove for simple, expressive forms, as he would do throughout his career. The series of workmen is generally regarded as his best work and a unique documentation of 19th century Dutch industry. Most of the works in this series are in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The present lot is one of the rare examples that stayed in private hands. 

Compare the present lot to a painting of the same subject in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht (inv.no. 7634/10). Several studies for the present lot are preserved in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.