De Vrek, Blijspel

About this artwork

plaatrand: hoogte 381 mm x breedte 282 mm

Art Historical Context

This delicate work on paper, created by Dutch artist Rienk Jelgerhuis between 1760 and 1770, is titled *De Vrek, Blijspel*—translating to “The Miser, a Comedy.” The title points to a theatrical theme, likely depicting a scene or character from a popular comic play of the period. At 381 by 282 millimeters, the sheet’s plate edge suggests it was produced as a, a medium that allowed such images to circulate widely among 18th-century audiences. Jelgerhuis worked during a time when Dutch theater and literature flourished, and prints often served as affordable souvenirs or illustrations tied to sta...

About the Artist

Rienk Jelgerhuis · 1729–1806

Rienk Jelgerhuis (1729–1806) was a prolific Dutch portrait painter, engraver, and draftsman whose extraordinary productivity—producing no fewer than 7,763 documented portraits during his career—made him one of the most industrious portraitists of the eighteenth-century Netherlands. Born in the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden and dying in Amsterdam, Jelgerhuis built his reputation as an itinerant por...