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a picture of a book with a picture of a man and a horse on itan open book with a picture of a man and a woman on it
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817 - Paper cuttings Extensive album of paper cuttings containing …
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Estimate €1,000 - €1,500
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Description
Paper cuttings Extensive album of paper cuttings containing approx. 110 black-and-white cuttings (a few in colour), probably Dutch and possibly formerly owned by Willem van den Bosch. Circa 1780–1850. Partly mounted on coloured backing paper, approx. 1.5 x 1.5 to 15 x 20 cm, mounted together on 59 leaves in a contemporary half-leather album, 4° format. (Worn, slightly stained). The Netherlands are regarded as the true cradle of European white-cut art: as early as the 17th century, a highly virtuosic cutting tradition developed there, pioneered by artists such as Johanna Koerten-Blok, which was initially reserved for the nobility and the educated middle classes. White-cut art – cut from white paper and mounted on coloured, usually dark backing paper – differs technically from the black silhouette art that emerged later and allowed for a broad thematic range beyond mere profile portraits. Whilst this art form declined elsewhere in Europe around 1830, it remained vibrant in the Netherlands well into the mid-19th century and, having originally been the preserve of the elite, was increasingly practised by middle-class amateurs – particularly young women – as paper prices fell. The approximately 110 prints in this album demonstrate the typical variety of motifs within this tradition: depictions of people and figures, animals, carriages, horsemen, trees, flowers, and rural genre scenes. The formats range from tiny miniatures measuring approximately 1.5 x 1.5 cm to larger, compositionally sophisticated sheets of 15 x 20 cm – a spectrum suggesting a family or occasional album that has grown over a long period and through the work of various hands. The mounting on coloured paper follows the classical presentation style of white-cut paper, whose openwork structure only reveals its three-dimensional effect when set against the dark paper. Of particular value are the contemporary handwritten inscriptions on some of the sheets: “Mejn Frouw/ Anna Sara/ Tourenburgh”, “Voor de Heer Campen”, “J. Campen”, “Ladder Jacob”, “Bruigoms Neff Jan Bessan” and “D Heer Willem van den Bosch”. The mention of the groom’s nephew suggests a context of creation or use within the framework of a wedding; the repeated mention of Willem van den Bosch supports the presumed provenance, although no definitive biographical attribution can be made. - On some paper cut-outs with the following handwritten inscriptions: “Mejn Frouw/ Anna Sara/ Tourenburgh”, “Voor de Heer Campen”, “J. Campen”, “Ladder Jacob”, “Bruigoms Neff Jan Bessan”, “D Heer Willem van den Bosch”. Silhouette cut-outs – Extensive album of paper cut-outs containing c. 110 white-cut silhouettes (a few in colour), probably Dutch and possibly from the collection of Willem van den Bosch. c. 1780–1850. Partly mounted on coloured backing paper, c. 1.5 x 1.5 to 15 x 20 cm, all mounted on 59 leaves in a contemporary half-calf album. 4°. (Rubbed, somewhat spotted). The Netherlands are regarded as the true cradle of European white-cut paper art: as early as the seventeenth century, a highly virtuosic cutting tradition developed there, initially reserved for the nobility and the educated bourgeoisie, pioneered by artists such as Johanna Koerten-Blok. The white cut – cut from white paper and mounted on coloured, usually dark backing paper – differs technically from the black silhouette cut that emerged later, and allowed for a far broader thematic range beyond the simple profile portrait. Whilst this art form declined elsewhere in Europe around 1830, it remained alive in the Netherlands well into the mid-nineteenth century and, having originally been a pastime of the elite, was increasingly practised by bourgeois amateurs, particularly young women, as paper prices fell. The approximately 110 cut-outs in this album display the typical thematic variety of this tradition: depictions of people and figures, animals, carriages, riders, trees, flowers, as well as rural, peasant genre scenes. The formats range from tiny miniatures measuring only about 1.5 x 1.5 cm to larger, compositionally ambitious sheets of 15 x 20 cm – a range that suggests a family or commemorative album that grew over an extended period and was compiled by different hands. The mounting on coloured backgrounds follows the classic method of presenting white-cut work, whose openwork structure only achieves its full sculptural effect when set against the dark paper. Of particular value are the contemporary handwritten inscriptions on several sheets: “Mejn Frouw/ Anna Sara/ Tourenburgh”, “Voor de Heer Campen”, “J. Campen”, “Ladder Jacob”, “Bruigoms Neff Jan Bessan”, and “D Heer Willem van den Bosch”. The mention of the groom’s nephew suggests a context of creation or use linked to a wedding; the repeated occurrence of the name Willem van den Bosch supports the presumed provenance, although a definitive biographical identification cannot be established on the basis of the present material. Some of the silhouette cuttings bear the following handwritten inscriptions: “Mejn Frouw/ Anna Sara/ Tourenburgh”, “Voor de Heer Campen”, “J. Campen”, “Ladder Jacob”, “Bruigoms Neff Jan Bessan”, “D Heer Willem van den Bosch.”
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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