Jan Sirks - Steiger, Vooroorlogs Rotterdam 002-JS - Sold

Etching by Jan Sirks with a view of "het Steiger" in pre-war Rotterdam



Description
This etching has been part of the "Rijnmond Toen" collection for many years under number 002-JS and was carefully cleaned and acid-free after purchase. The photos also show the condition of the etching after purchase, before reconditioning the etching. The etching is damage-free and recently mounted in a new, of course acid-free, Artique passe-partout, ready to be framed by the new collector to his own taste.
Condition
Very slight discoloration; otherwise in excellent condition.
Signed ro in pencil
loose-leaf
Dimensions

passe-partout 21.0 x 26.0 cm
Blade 19.3 x 25.0 cm
Image 13.2 x 18.1 cM

Presentation
This etching is known as "het Steiger" in pre-war Rotterdam. The center of Rotterdam, roughly from the Coolsingel, eastwards to the Oostplein, was almost completely destroyed in the bombing of May 1940.

The artist
Jan Sirks (Rotterdam, February 23, 1885 – Zeist, March 11, 1938)
Jan Sirks was a Dutch graphic artist who specialized in painting, watercolor painting, drawing and etching of the ports of Rotterdam, animals, cityscapes and landscapes in a romantic realistic style. Sirks was co-founder of the Rotterdam artist group “De Branding”.
A biography and overview of his work was published in 2004 (ISBN 906 216 640 7 – NUR 642/646). There is also a website dedicated to him, thanks to his wife, daughter and granddaughter Yosay Briels, who also wrote an English biography about him “The Dutch Artist and His Muse”. (ISBN 978-1545151792)
There is no certainty about the scope of his work. The numbers range from 200 etchings to over 300 works.
About 65 etchings by Jan Sirks in his possession are shown on the Rijnmond Toen website and Facebook page, including the etching that is now on offer.