Moravian Mother and Daughter at Zeist, Dutch Costume Print, 1811

An original antique hand colored engraving from Evert Maaskamp's Dutch costume series, published in Amsterdam in 1811, lettered in Dutch "Eene Moeder en ongehuwde Dochter van de Broeder gemeente te Seist." and in French "Une Mère et sa Fille membres de la Société des Frères Moraves, à Seist." In a plain interior with a gray floor ruled in green, the daughter sits on a chair with a green seat and plays a square piano from an open book of music. She wears a white cap, a pink bow at the throat, a white shawl and a white overgown over a dress patterned in red and yellow. Her mother sits behind the instrument in a black bonnet trimmed with a large rosette, round spectacles, a gray shawl and a bright blue neck bow, knitting a dark piece of work held up in both hands.

The captions translate as "A mother and unmarried daughter of the Brethren's congregation at Zeist" and "A mother and her daughter, members of the Society of the Moravian Brethren, at Zeist". At left is "J. Kuyper, direx." and at right "L. Portman, Sculp.", and the plate is numbered "No. 5" above. The imprint reads "Amsterdam 1811. by E. Maaskamp, Kalverstaat en Dam No. 1." over "London Published by Colnaghi & Co. Cockspur Street No. 43."

The plate belongs to Evert Maaskamp's Afbeeldingen van de Kleedingen, Zeden en Gewoonten in Holland, published in Amsterdam with parallel Dutch and French captions and offered in London through Colnaghi and Co. The series records the dress, manners and customs of the northern Netherlands in numbered plates, each a small scene within a ruled border, and many of the captions are a line of dialogue spoken by one of the figures. J. Kuyper signs the plates as director, direx., and they were engraved by L. Portman and finished by hand in watercolor.

A single plate frames well on its own with the full caption showing, and a few plates from the series hung together make a coherent group of Dutch scenes.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.