A Japanese girl with a wagasa

After his training in Antwerp and Paris, De Josselin de Jong settled in 1883 in The Hague, where he quickly became a well-known portraitist of the nobility and the grand bourgeoisie. In the same year he received a Gold Medal from King William III and later he would receive many more awards. Around 1891 he was appointed court painter and for 15 years he made many portraits of the royal family including the Queen Emma (1893), King William III (1894) and Queen Wilhelmina (1898). The present lot shows that De Josselin de Jong was influenced by Japonisme. A Japanese girl in a beautifully decorated white kimono is holding a wagasa (Japanese parasol). Japan was a country - previously shrouded in mystery - which was only since 1853 accessible to outsiders again. Partly due to the world fair of 1862 in London and 1867 in Paris, there arose a huge interest in Europe in the 70's for Japanese art and many artists like George Hendrik Breitner, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet were affected by this. De Josselin de Jong was in his time praised for his use of colour, as is visible in the present lot with its beautiful contrast of colours.