Obj. ID: 41494
Modern Jewish Art Israëls, A Son of The Ancient Race or A Son of The Chosen People, The Netherlands, ca. 1890
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
Joseph Israels is arguably the most important Dutch painter of the 19th century, with the exception of Van Gogh. He founded and was the leading member of the Hague school, which dominated Dutch art from about 1870 into the beginning of the 20th century. He rarely dealt with Jewish subjects, but this picture is one of four Jewish titles which he painted in several versions. This painting is entitled "A son of the ancient race" or "A son of the chosen people" and is one of four recorded versions. It depicts a second-hand clothes peddler in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam. The melancholy demeanor of the subject and the clear poverty of his surroundings have been given universal interpretation by many critics as a general comment on the human condition.