After his education at the Amsterdamsche Stadstekenacademie (Drawing Academy Amsterdam) Hendrik Voogd had an apprenticeship to Jurrian Andriessen (1742-1819). Just like his predecessor Daniël Dupré (1751-1817) he won a scholarship given by the Oeconomische Tak van de Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen Haarlem and supported by collector and patron Dirk Versteegh (1751-1822) Voogd set out for his sojourn to Italy in 1788 where he joined the Accademia di San Luca. Only very few foreigners were allowed to this membership, which shows how highly his drawings and paintings were appreciated in Italy already during his lifetime. In Rome he became friends with David P.G. Humbert de Superville (1770-1849) and J.C. Reinhart (1761-1847). Aside from his activities as painter and draughtsman, Voogd was also a very early lithographer and one of the very first to have his lithographs printed at the printshop of Giovanni dall'Armi (1777-18429) in Rome. Voogd would spend the rest of his life in Italy (he returned only several times to The Netherlands for short periods of time) where he made numerous drawings in Rome and surroundings (Albano, Castellano, Civita, Pozzuoli, Tivoli etc). He was nicknamed the Dutch Claude Lorrain by his fellow artists in Rome cause of the warm Southern light in his paintings. After Voogd's death, his workshop estate was auctioned on the 15th of August 1842 in Amsterdam. Among this were two large albums and one smaller portfolio with drawings. Voogd's fame would experience a true revival after the discovery of over 200 drawings in the collection of Duivenvoorde Castle, Voorschoten in 1959 which most assumptuous were these three albums. The contents were auctioned and bought by the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Kröller-Müller Museum etc.[1][2][3][4]
Three albums with drawings after local landscapes of Rome and surroundings are preserved in Amsterdam.[5][6]
The present drawing is a recent discovery and new addition to the corpus of drawings by Voogd and a rare occasion of a portrait drawing, as Voogd is mainly known as a landscapist. Only two other portrait drawings by Voogd recorded thus far, both portraits in profile of David Pièrre Giottino Humbert de Superville (1770-1849).[7][8]
The drawing appears to be a fragment of what has been a larger sheet with annotations on the upper right and in mirror image on the lower bottom. Central, a beautifully rendered portrait of a man at age with a weather-beated face, wearing a tatar hat. Central on top of this drawing the lower half of a study of another old man with fluffy beard and on the upper left a portrait in half-length of another man at age, whose lapel runs parallel to the lapel of the central portrait.
Given the signature, dating, annotation "La Tempore" (italian for the time) and presence of two other studies of men at age, the drawing should be interpreted as a Tronie, depicting age.
[1] Ingrid Oud, Michiel Jonker, Marijn Schapelhouman, In de ban van Italië. Tekeningen uit een Amsterdamse verzameling.
Architecture & Natura, 1995. p. 54-55.
[2] J.W. Niemeijer et. al., Ontmoetingen met Italië. Tekenaars uit Scandinavië/Duitsland/Nederland in Italië 1770-1840. Rijksprentenkabinet Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, 1971. p.27-29.
[3] Ellinoor Bergvelt, Paul Knolle et. al., Reizen naar Rome. Italië als leerschool voor Nederlandse kunstenaars omstreeks 1800.
Teylers Museum, Haarlem, 1984/Istituto Olandese di Roma, 1984.
[4] Mooi Oud. Tekeningen uit de Kröller-Müllercollectie: 1500-1800.
Kröller-Müller Museum, 2021. p. 214-215.
[5] Two albums with drawings by Hendrik Voogd.
Amsterdams Historisch Museum, inv. no. A 3295 and A 3300.
[6] Album with drawings by Hendrik Voogd.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. 1967:102.
[7] Hendrik Voogd, Portrait of David Humbert de Superville.
Pencil, 182 x 143 mm. Universitaire bibliotheken Leiden - Bijzondere collecties, inv./cat.nr. PK 2089
[8] Hendrik Voogd, Portrait of David Humbert de Superville.
Pencil, 163 x 137 mm. Universitaire bibliotheken Leiden - Bijzondere collecties, inv./cat.nr. PK 2090
