Petrus van der Velden
Netherlands / Aotearoa New Zealand / Australia, b.1837, d.1913
Study for Funeral Series
- c. 1872
- Wash
- Presented by the family of A. F. Nicoll, 1960
- 238 x 303mm
- 79/08
Location: W A Sutton Gallery
Tags: funerals, grief, hats, monochrome, people (agents), shovels, studies (visual works), wash technique
As a witness to the burial of the drowned fisherman at Marken, van der Velden apidly completed a series of pencil sketches of the funeral procession. He captured moments including the pallbearers carrying the casket, mourners at the graveside, and young men filling in the grave. One drawing has been worked over with sepia washes to develop the composition further. The men supporting the widow in the two drawings on the right may be the figures in Burial in the Winter on the Island of Marken who push the laden sled across the snow. The quiet grouping at lower right echoes the arrangement of the two young women who physically support the widow in the finished painting.
(Timeless: Treasures from the Historical Collection 19 September 2026 –30 May 2027)
Exhibition History
Quadrant: Four themes of Petrus van der Velden, 20 October 2006 – 25 March 2007
In this exhibition, this work appeared alongside three other studies with the following label: Observing the burial of the drowned fisherman at Marken, Van der Velden completed this series of successive pencil sketches, which provide a narrative of the progression of the funeral. Subjects include pallbearers carrying the coffin, mourners grieving at the graveside, and young men filling in the grave. There is a feeling of spontaneity in this group of drawings that suggests Van der Velden completed them rapidly outdoors, directly before the subjects. In one example he has worked over the group of mourners with sepia washes to create tonal gradations. These sketches highlight Van der Velden’s superb ability to observe and record the unfolding scenes before him.