Johannes Engel Masurel, The Kitchen Princess

Johannes Engel Masurel, The Kitchen PrincessThis mid 19th century watercolour by Dutch artist Johannes Engel Masurel (1826 1915) depicts a young lady reading in a kitchen interior littered with vegetables. Transfixed by the contents of a novel, shes oblivious to the cluttered environment. A smorgasbord of fresh goods sprawled on cold checkerboard tiles. Onions tumble from an upturned basket while carrots teeter atop a plate of potatoes. Even the lantern hangs askew. Masurel was obsessed with

In Act 2 Scene 1

Time has taken its toll

420 achieved for ‘Glerum’ at an auction in Singapore in 1997

expressive brushwork and composition

He probably painted some of this outdoors before returning to his studio to add refinements

status and love but also hold an intellectually deeper meaning for those who wish to study them

has captured the light beautifully as it falls across the scene - with the trees creating rippling reflections in the water

“How will this be

еxcept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die

Paintings of this kind often refer to the power of nature and contemplate man’s role within it

In the middle-ground

It’s a puzzling scene as it appears to depict a heroine standing mournfully while she holds a dagger