A miner, and a name that stopped me

Hidden inside one of the boxes of paintings I picked up for a few euros at auction. I’d caught a glimpse of it during the viewing days and it triggered me straight away. Because of the signature I had it independently appraised — and the appraiser confirmed it: a genuine Toorop.

A rare and striking little painting. The subject is a miner — an atypical choice for Toorop, though it’s documented that he painted them. A wonderful find, and one that has since moved on to a new owner through auction.

About the artist. Jan Toorop (1858–1928) ranks, with Van Gogh and Mondriaan, among the most important Dutch artists of the years around 1900. They looked to the newest international currents in art and, in turn, inspired others — Toorop was a major influence on Gustav Klimt. He began as an Impressionist, moved through Pointillism, and developed into a Symbolist; Dutch Art Nouveau is closely associated with his work. In the last twenty years of his life he was strongly Roman Catholic in inspiration.