Catharijna Oostvries (Trijntje Sieuwerts) (1636–1708): Floral garland, oil on panel, dated 1678

Work: 31,5 x 20 cm

Frame: 49,5 x 38,5 cm

Signed and dated to the lower left: 'Catharijna Oostvries : Feci 1678'.

Ref.:
- Christie's, June 12, 1990, lot 329, for a related work, signed and dated '1678 8/12', possibly a pendant to or part of a series together with our current work. (see image 5)
- Marloes Huiskamp, 'Oostfries, Catharina', in: Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland (link), where the author states:
OOSTFRIES, Catharina, also known as Trijntje Sieuwerts (born Nieuwkoop 1636? - died Alkmaar 13-11-1708), (glass) painter and draftswoman. She married Claes Pietersz. van der Meulen (1642-1693), glass painter, on 2-10-1661 in Alkmaar. From this marriage 5 daughters and 3 sons were born.

According to Arnold Houbraken, Catharina Oostfries was born in Nieuwkoop in 1636. Given the patronymic Sieuwerts or variations thereof, with which she is also referred to in documents, her father's name was Sieuwert. Nothing else is known about her background. We do know that Catharina was the sister of Jozef Oostfries (1628-1661), who worked as a glass painter in Hoorn and the surrounding area. The Alkmaar archives state that Trijntje Sieuwerts married glass painter Claes Pietersz. van der Meulen on 2 October 1661 and that both lived in Hoorn at the time of the marriage, 18 September 1661. Of the five daughters and three sons the couple would have between 1662 and 1679, at least one daughter died young. It is known that son Pieter (1667-1714) became a glazier and son Sieuwert (1679-1730), apparently named after his grandfather, was a (marine) painter.

Houbraken reports that Catharina Oostfries was active as an artist in the same field as her brother and her husband and that she was ‘so fond of art that she continued to work hard and practice diligently every day until she was seventy-two, both in drawing and glass painting’. Catharina must have produced quite a bit, but no drawings or glass paintings by her hand can be traced. The whereabouts of two drawn seascapes that were offered for sale in Utrecht in 1846 are also unknown. In recent decades, it has become apparent that Catharina Oostfries also made paintings: several signed still lifes with flowers and dead birds have surfaced at auctions.

Houbraken's mention of 'the 13 of the month of slaughter 1708' as the date of death of Catharina Oostfries is consistent with the note in the Alkmaar burial registers. These state that Trijntje Sieuwerts was buried on 17 November 1708.