signed and inscribed ‘H van Meegeren/ zelfportret’ charcoal, stumping
63 x 46.5 cm

Literature:
F.G. Kreuger, List of works by H.A. van Meegeren 1889-1947, [own publication], p. 41, no. Azf.f, p. 68, fig. f (as possibly Han van Meegeren or Jacques van Meegeren).

Han van Meegeren is without doubt one of the most infamous, if not the most infamous, art forgers of all time. Like many other forgers, Van Meegeren’s start of his artist career was difficult and he had a troubled relationship with curators and art critics. After having been refused as a member of the Haagse Kunstkring, Van Meegeren moved to his villa in France in 1932 where he started producing forgeries in complete isolation. The most famous of forgeries, of course, is Christ at Emmaus, which was acquired by the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in 1937. [1] Other museums too unknowingly bought forgeries by the artist; the Rijksmuseum bought, for example, a painting in the style of Frans Hals showing Malle Babbe. [2]

Besides paintings, Van Meegeren also produced a large drawn œuvre. The present sheet is a fine self-portrait showing the artist at work while death is playing the violin behind him. While the sheet is signed, it has been suggested that the drawing could actually have been the work by his son Jacques van Meegeren, who himself was a forger of his father’s work. However, Jacques’s work is often of mediocre quality, making the attribution to the father more likely. The sheet can be compared, for example, too Baron X, a large drawing showing a man on the phone with a skeleton behind him which is closely comparable in style and execution. [3]

[1] Inv. St 1.
[2] Inv. SK-A-4242. Furthermore, for a list of forgeries by Van Meegeren acquired by museums see F.H. Kreuger, A new Vermeer. Life and Work of Han van Meegeren, Rijswijk, 2007, pp. 223-226.
[3] See RKD record no. 3329594.