Portrait of a man, seated, three-quarter-length; Portrait of a woman, seated, three-quarter-length

This pair of paintings has, until recent decades, been regarded as preparatory sketches for a pair of portraits in the Art Institute of Chicago (inv. nos. 1925.715 and 1925.716), the attributions of which have also been questioned since Werner Sumowski included them in his seminal Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler (op. cit., III, nos. 1386, 1387). Cornelis Hofstede de Groot and Sumowski both believed the present pair were very early works by Maes, the latter dating them to circa 1653-55. More recently, Dr. William W. Robinson, who previously only knew the paintings from poor photographs, has suggested they may be versions of the Chicago pair by another hand, datable to several years later when the curtain and table were fashionable elements in portraiture (private communication, 31 March 2022).

Jacques Goudstikker (1897-1940) joined the family art business in 1919, the gallery having been established by his grandfather Jacob in the middle of the previous century.  In the following two decades, Jacques’ vision led the gallery to a central position in the art market for Old Master paintings, both in Amsterdam and internationally. His commercial and curatorial leadership, as seen in his ambitious catalogue designs and his themed exhibitions, influenced major collectors like Daniel G. van Beuningen or Heinrich Baron Thyssen Bornemisza and he worked to enhance museum collections at the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, the Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York to name a few.

Known as an avid arts enthusiast, Jacques enjoyed a diverse and artistic network of friends and clients. In 1937 he married to the Viennese singer, Desirée (Desi) von Halban Kurz (1912-1996), their only child, Eduard (Edo) was born the same year.  But Jacques’ personal and professional success came to an abrupt stop in May 1940.  A few days after the German invasion before the German occupation of The Netherlands, Jacques, who was Jewish, fled with his family, boarding one of the last available ships to safety.  His life was cut tragically short during their escape to England when he died as a result of a fall onboard.

Research into the Goudstikker collection and gallery inventory left behind in The Netherlands – an estimated 1,400 artworks taken over in Jacques’ absence by Alois Miedl and Hermann Goering – has been a two-decade long commitment by his heir to Jacques’ legacy and at the forefront of present-day restitution efforts.

These two portraits of an elderly man and woman by circle of Nicolaes Maes have been restituted to the heirs of Jacques Goudstikker in 2021.