Oil on panel

Image 15*12,5 cm

Framed: 20*17 cm

Signed Lower left

Biography

Albertus Verhoesen (Utrecht 1806–1881 Utrecht) was a Dutch painter, best known for his animal paintings, particularly of farm animals such as cows, sheep, ducks, and especially chickens.

Albertus Verhoesen received his training from various artists, including Jan van Ravenswaay and Pieter Gerardus van Os, who specialized in landscapes and animal paintings. He later developed into one of the leading painters of rural scenes and livestock in the 19th century. Verhoesen lived and worked in various Dutch cities, including Amersfoort, Utrecht, and Hilversum.

From 1824 to 1826, Verhoesen was part of the artists' colony in Hilversum and likely received lessons from B.C. Koekkoek. In Amersfoort, Verhoesen worked for nearly twenty years as the city drawing master (director of the local drawing school). Additionally, he was also an art dealer. In 1853, Verhoesen returned to Utrecht.

Verhoesen was a typical representative of Romantic animal painting, a genre that was popular in the 19th century. His works show great attention to detail and realism, and he skillfully captured the texture of animal fur and the atmosphere of the countryside. He depicted animals in various poses with idyllic rural backgrounds—ducks, turkeys, chicks in baskets, and hens pecking at earthenware bowls in the grass. He also painted cow stables, landscapes with cows and calves along a river, and goats in a summer meadow.

His paintings can be found in various museums, such as the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, and the Rijksprentenkabinet in Amsterdam. In addition to paintings, he also created drawings and lithographs. He was a teacher to his son, Johannes Marinus Verhoesen, as well as to Dirk van Lokhorst.