Lot 244: Pierre Jan van der Ouderaa (Belgian, 1841-1915)

In the Dressing Room
signed and dated 'P. van der ouderaa. Antiver 1902' (lower left)
oil on canvas
35 1/2 x 43 1/8 in. (90.2 x 109.5 cm.)
Painted in 1902

Born in Antwerp in 1841, Ouderaa studied with Jacobs, van Lerius and Nicholas de Keyser at Academy of Antwerp. He traveled to Italy in 1866 and the Orient, returning to Antwerp in 1869, when he was named professor at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts. In 1893, he traveled to Palestine in the company of Karel Ooms and M. Rooses.

In the Dressing Room is the obvious product of van der Ouderaa's travels to Italy, reflected in the attention to the details of the interior of the Roman house and the antique dress of the figures.