Bart Vreijssen discovered an original 19th-century painting by Belgian artist Jan-Willem Rosier among wooden religious icons in the warehouse of Goirle thrift store La Poubelle on November 6, Omroep Brabant reported.
The canvas is valued at a minimum of €400 and potentially as much as €1,500. “Had it not caught my eye, it probably would have gotten a €15 sticker,” Vreijssen said. The painting currently hangs in his office while its final price is determined, and the store is accepting bids.
Rosier Directed the Mechelen Academy and Taught in London
Jan-Willem Rosier trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before settling in Antwerp, where he became a teacher at the Antwerp Academy in 1885. In 1892, he was appointed director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Mechelen. When World War I began, he fled temporarily to England and taught at the London School of Arts. After the war, he returned to his post in Mechelen until failing health forced him to stop painting in 1927. He died in Antwerp on July 24, 1931.
The Work Studies Light Through Chiaroscuro
The painting is one of Rosier’s studies of light incidence, employing chiaroscuro to heighten contrasts between light and dark beyond natural appearance. It depicts light reflecting off wooden floors and panels, echoing the style of 17th-century Dutch master Pieter Janssens Elinga. “It seems like a hand-painted tribute to the seventeenth-century master Pieter Janssens Elinga, a Dutch painter from the Golden Age,” Vreijssen said. As director of the Mechelen academy, Rosier specialized in chiaroscuro. A signature in thin oil paint confirms the work as an original. The person who donated the painting to La Poubelle remains unidentified.
What Buyers Should Know About the Goirle Find
Vreijssen noted that such items often end up among various goods in the intake warehouse. He suggested that many people are unaware of the treasures that can be found within their old household belongings. He expects that art experts from Belgium, in particular, will appreciate the value of the work.
The painting is worth at least €400, with the potential to reach €1,500.
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