Playing in the woods

Children playing in the woods, such as in the present lot, is a recurring theme in the oeuvre of Willem Bastiaan Tholen. Until about 1900 he worked frequently in the surroundings of the country estate Ewijkshoeve, where he spent many summers with his friend Willem Witsen. In 1890 Tholen moved to the Kanaalvilla in The Hague and started working in its direct vicinity, including the Scheveningse Bosjes and the Haagse Bos (see: Anneke de Jong, Willem Bastiaan Tholen, 1860-1931, 1993, p. 55-59). A clearing in the woods where mothers and nannies went to enjoy the nice weather and let the children play was one of his favourite themes. A review by Albert Verwey appeared in the 1888 Nieuwe Gids about one of these watercolours in which he admires the gleaming happiness, which is characteristic of the present lot as well: "Een lichte, gelukkige opgeruimdheid is daar een aangenaam kenmerk van Tholen's teekening" (op.cit. p. 62).