Elderly Woman Huddled over Hearth. Oil on panel. Signed by the artist lower right

Josef Israels (1824-1911) was an innovative force in Dutch art and is often compared to Rembrandt. Associations between the two artists were drawn by the use of darker colors and typically lowly interiors, as well as broad brush strokes. In classic Israels style, the subject is Dutch, the composition dark and austere, the hovel here is sparse with little light emanating from the small fire-place Provenance: Christies New York, 19th Century European Paintings. May, 1991, Lot 277