Petrus Geradus Vertin

(The Hague 1819 - 1893)
Snowball fight in a sunlit street
Indistinctly signed and dated 89 lower right
Oil on panel, 24.3 x 19.1 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, France
Note:
Petrus Gerardus Vertin was a nineteenth century etcher, lithographer, painter and watercolourist and part of the movement of the Hague Romanticists. From 1839 to 1840 he was trained at the Haagse Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten by Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove (1790-1880) who also taught Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch (1824-1903) and Charles Leickert (1816-1907). Vertin is known for his landscapes and cityscapes, but also painted portraits and church interiors. His cityscapes of, amongst others, Alkmaar and Delft are usually very accurate. However, he often painted fantasized architectural elements and combined various cities and landscapes as well. Vertin's great eye for detail can be seen in the light reflecting off the snow, which gives the street a magical atmosphere. His paintings are on display in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague and the Centraal Museum Utrecht.