Jozef Israëls, 'An Old Man writing by Candlelight', about 1885-99
About the work
Overview
An old man writes by the glow of a candle; it appears to be the only source of light in the darkened room. A collection of framed prints and drawings crowded on the wall is barely visible. Wide cracks caused by paint shrinkage run across the canvas, revealing the white ground and making the details of the composition hard to decipher.
Jean Charles Joseph Drucker, the previous owner of the painting, referred to it as ‘The Philosopher’. The title might be the one given by Jozef Israëls, who was a friend of Drucker. The artist has drawn on a long tradition in Dutch art of depicting scholars in their studies. The subtle light effects are reminiscent of Rembrandt, an artist Israëls greatly admired and with whom he was often compared by critics. This was among the first works by a contemporary Dutch artist to be shown at the National Gallery.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- An Old Man writing by Candlelight
- Artist
- Jozef Israëls
- Artist dates
- 1824 - 1911
- Date made
- about 1885-99
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 65 × 54.6 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by J.C.J. Drucker, 1910
- Inventory number
- NG2713
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991 and supplemented by Isobel Muir; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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