signed, dated and inscribed ‘aan mevrouw/ Abrahamson van JHToorop, sept. 1924’
black chalk and coloured crayon
20.9 x 13.5 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, The Netherlands.

Toorop is widely regarded as one of the greatest Dutch artists of his time. His name is often mentioned alongside those of Van Gogh, Mondrian and Breitner and, recently, Toorop took centre stage once again during the magnificent exhibition at the Singer Museum, Laren (from January to May 2026). One reason for Toorop’s enduring popularity may be the otherworldly beauty and refinement of his work. In a world marked by suffering and misery, his œuvre offers a glimpse of an ideal world.
This drawing from his later period – a period in which he enriched his œuvre with a spiritual, comforting dimension – is a subtle example of this. Here, Toorop draws inspiration from the ethereal, blue-robed Madonna’s of Italian Renaissance art. The interplay with the Dutch-style landscape in the background is beautiful: the spiritual and the earthly combined. The landscape may depict the dunes at Domburg and Katwijk, places that Toorop loved to visit and that feature in several of his paintings and drawings.
It is interesting to note the artist’s explicit dedication ‘to Mrs Abrahamson’. Is he depicting Mrs Abrahamson as the Madonna here? Or was the work commissioned by her? We will probably never know. We do know exactly who this Mrs Abrahamson was, which gives the work an extra, personal dimension. Her full name was Marie Abrahamson - de Leeuw (Noordwijk, 15 September 1897 – Bussum, 17 July 1936). She married Felix Pinechas Abrahamson on 14 June 1900 (Amsterdam, 13 December 1870 – murdered in Sobibor, 16 April 1943).
Felix Pinechas Abrahamson ran a bookshop in Amsterdam from 1887 to 1931 that also published books and prints. In 1924, he published De meesterwerken van Jan Toorop: a portfolio containing 28 beautiful lithographic reproductions, with an introduction by Just Havelaar. Toorop must therefore have known Abrahamson well. He may have drawn the portrait of Mrs Abrahamson as a token of gratitude for their pleasant collaboration or convivial gatherings. Once again, heavenly art with earthly roots. Overall, a refined and striking little masterpiece by the great Toorop.

I am grateful to Sander Bink for providing the above catalogue note.