Jan Sirks - Rotterdam 1918 - Aelbrechtskolk with 2 tjalks - 130-JS - Sold

Etching with historical city harbour view by Jan Sirks from the Collection <Rijnmond Toen> no. 130-JS.
The etching shows a view of the Aelbrechtskolk, Delfshaven, Rotterdam from well before the Second World War; the time when the port of Rotterdam was still in the city.

The etching is in good condition, slightly yellowed and with somewhat bubbled, but otherwise intact paper.

Annotation l in pencil: "Rotterdam 1918"
Hand signed in pencil
The etching is offered loose-leaf.

Dimensions
sheet 397 x 290 mm
Image 297 x 235 mm

Jan Sirks (Rotterdam, 23 February 1885 – Zeist, 11 March 1938)
Jan Sirks was a Dutch graphic artist, who devoted himself to painting, watercoloring, drawing and etching the ports of Rotterdam, animals, cityscapes and landscapes in a romantic realistic style. Sirks was co-founder of the Rotterdam artists' group "De Branding". Despite the fact that Sirks was self-taught, he was one of the few Rotterdammers who had a relatively good existence in the art world during that period.
A biography and overview of the work of Jan Sirks was published in 2004 by Mr. Aad Knops (ISBN 906 216 640 7 – NUR 642/646).
There is a website dedicated to him, thanks to the careful archival work of his wife, daughter and later granddaughter Yosay Briels, who also wrote an English-language biography about him “The Dutch Artist and His Muse”. (ISBN 978-1545151792)
There is no exact certainty about the size of Jan Sirks' work. Even if we limit ourselves to his etchings, the numbers vary. Where Mr Knops speaks of approximately 200 etchings, of which 198 are included in his overview, Mrs Briels' website speaks of over 300 works.
The website and Facebook page of Rijnmond Toen feature some 65 etchings by Jan Sirks that belong or have belonged to the collection, including the etching that is now on offer.