Willem Maris Dutch, 1844-1910

Seaside donkeys were not an uncommon subject in Hague School painting. Anton Mauve, for instance, painted it several times and scored great successes. His pictures of donkeys can be ranged amongst the finest. Willem Roelofs' friend J.H.L. de Haas also tackled the subject several times. In the oeuvre of Willem Maris, best known for his paintings of cows,  the subject is quite unusual. We know that he painted donkeys in the early years of his career, around 1866-1876 to be precise, when he exhibited these paintings in Brussels, Antwerp and Rotterdam. Maris found his inspiration on Scheveningen beach, where donkeys were used for riding. Isaac Israels also painted there and made the theme of donkey rides popular. The present lot is a rare, early work of  Willem Maris and a beautiful example of early Hague School painting. 

A different version of Donkeys on the beach is preserved in the collection of the Haagse Gemeentemuseum. See: J. Sillevis, R. Dorn, H. Kraan, De Haagse School. De collectie van het Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague 1988, p. 376, illustrated. A second version of resting donkeys on the beach is in private hands. Compare H. Janssen, W. van Sinderen, De Haagse School, Zwolle 1997, p. 134, illustrated in colour.