This year's TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) concluded yesterday on March 14 in Maastricht. During the fair, renowned art and antiques galleries and dealers from around the world brought the best of their collections to display and sell.
At the booth of Zebregs & Röell Fine Art (Amsterdam and Maastricht), the Rijksmuseum acquired a painting by the Dutch Baroque painter and draftswoman Gesina ter Borch (1631-1690) with the support of the 'Women of the Rijksmuseum' fund for €3 million ($3.3 million). The painting titled Portrait of Moses ter Borch as a Two Year Old, is not just the only signed canvas by the artist, but also an extremely intimate work with a touching back story.
Gesina ter Borch was the daughter of the painter Gerard ter Borch (c. 1583-1662) from Zwolle, who taught painting and drawing to his numerous children from three marriages. Besides Gesina, Harmen (1638-1677), the youngest Moses (1645-1667) and the eldest Gerard ter Borch the Younger (1617-1681) revealed their talent in this field. The latter was particularly encouraged by his father and became the best-known member of the artistic family.
Gesina ter Borch distinguished herself primarily as a draftswoman and watercolor painter of sometimes humorous everyday scenes. Oil paintings by her are rare and works attributed to her have been doubted due to the lack of a signature.
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But then art dealer Dickie Zebregs from Zebregs & Röell Fine Art and Antiques discovered an oil painting from a Parisian colleague who had purchased it from a private collector in December 2023. Thanks to the existing signature, Gesina ter Borch's authorship could be determined without a doubt. But it's not just this art historically significant fact that makes the painting special, but also the subject.
In the painting, Gesina's youngest brother Moses is depicted, surrounded by numerous toys, at the age of two, which is emphasized by the year recorded in the painting, 1647. However, the work was created 20 years later, after Moses died in Harwich, England, where he was serving in the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667). The family's grief was great and together Gerard the Younger and Gesina also created another posthumous portrait.
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The recently discovered portrait of two-year-old Moses illustrates how painful the loss must have been for Gesina, who was 15 when Moses was born and had watched him grow up. She chose to portray him in such an extraordinary way in memory of his carefree childhood.
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Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum, said, "Gesina ter Borch painted this moving portrait of her brother, who was 15 years her junior, following his death. This crowning achievement in her artistic legacy also offers an intimate look into her personal life. The pain of loss and the importance of joy-filled memories are universal and still palpable in this 350-year-old painting."
Since 1886, the Rijksmuseum has owned the artistic estate of the Ter Borch family, which also includes numerous works by Gesina. Now another important work has been added to the collection: the artist's only signed painting.
