Portrait of Eleonora Susette

Portrait of Eleonora Susette
Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom
ArtistJeremias Schultz
Year1775
Catalogue2019/2437
Mediumoil on canvas
MovementDutch Golden Age
SubjectEleonora Susette, portrait painting
Dimensions80 × 69,2 cm
Location
CommissionerBeata Louise Schultz–de la Sablonière
Accession2019/2437 Edit this on Wikidata

Portrait of Eleonora Susette is a portrait painting by the Dutch painter Jeremias Schultz (1723–1800),[1] created in 1775. Initially, little was known about the painting when it was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in 2020. Both the identity of the sitter and the artist had been lost to time, and the painting bore the general title Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom. Following years of research, the sitter was identified as Eleonora Susette, an enslaved woman from the former Dutch colony of Berbice (present-day Guyana).

Artist

Jeremias Schultz[a] (1723–1800) was a Dutch painter, illustrator, and etcher.[1][2] He was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1723, and around 1743, he moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he started his painting career. In addition, he was a teacher in the apprenticeship of his cousin, Johan Christoffel Schultsz,[1][3] and artists P.J. Rink, Arend Alans, and Isaac Cordes Jansz.[4][5] Schultz's work primarily contained portraits of people from Amsterdam, Deventer, and Kampen.[2] Between 1750 and 1781, he painted several portraits, which can be found with his other works in museum collections worldwide. A portrait of an Armenian merchant in Amsterdam is on display in the San Lazzaro degli Armeni.[6] The works of minister Christiaan Slichtenbree and his wife are part of the collection of Museum De Waag in Deventer.[7][8][9]

Other works by Schultz are in the possession of private collectors.[10] More of his works are listed in auction catalogues; however, their current state and whereabouts are unknown. It contains portraits, landscapes, painted wall art, and reproductions of other works in several art forms.

Research

In 2020, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) acquired the portrait of a young woman with funds of the European Curatorial Committee.[2][11][12][13] At that time, the identity of the portrayed woman and the artist were unknown (apart from the barely readable signature "J.Schul...fec"[b]).[12][15][16] Over a number of years, researchers commissioned by the AGO studied the painting in depth, conducting source research and seeking advice from experts in 18th-century European colonial and fashion history, and botany.[2][16][17] A major breakthrough came with the rediscovery in an old auction catalogue of a companion portrait of a young man in a rich green suit with a lace cravat (then-known as Portrait of a young man wearing a green jacket holding a cane).[14] The sitter was later identified as Michiel.[2] Progress was shared with the public via the AGO podcast A Portrait of Possibilities,[2] which enabled the museum to gain the attention of the Dutch descendants of the commissioner and helped all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.[2][16][18][19]

The research revealed that the portrayed sitter was an enslaved woman, with the name Eleonora Susette (sometimes referred to as Johanna).[2] She was born into slavery in 1756 in the then-Dutch colony of Berbice (present-day Guyana).[c][2][16] Similar to her mother, Lucia Afiba, she was a servant in the Dutch colonial Fort Nassau of Berbice.[2][18]

Background

In the second half of the 18th century, Eleonora Susette was a servant of the Family Schultz–de la Sablonière, the Dutch governor to Berbice.[c] The family from Kampen departed by ship for Berbice on 20 October 1768, and consisted of governor Stephen Hendrik de la Sablonière (1714–1773),[20][21] his wife Beata "Bartje" Louise Schultz (1724–1779),[d][20] and their four children (two sons and two daughters), including son Jacobus "Cootje" Johannes Christoffel.[10][20][22] It was highly unusual for European women to travel to the colonies in the West Indies.[23] Beata Louise was descended from a family of Kampen mayors, Schultz–Bruinier,[e][22] and is through her father, Ephraïm Schultz, family of painter Jeremias Schultz (her cousin[f]).[19][24]

At that time, Berbice was emerging from a period of unrest. In 1763–64, it was the scene of a large-scale slave rebellion, with a year of occupation and destruction of the plantations.[23][25] Most plantation owners fled the colony, and only the coastal strip remained in the hands of the colonists.[26] After a split and treason in the rebellion group, and the arrival of military European backup, the uprising was suppressed in a bloody manner, and the colony was reconquered by the colonists.[21][25][26] During these events, a total of around 40 of the 346 European colonists and 1,800 of the 3,833 enslaved people of African descent lost their lives in Berbice.[23]

Stephen Hendrik was from 19 March 1768 until his death on 17 July 1773 the governor of Berbice.[20] The oldest son passes away in 1770, and in 1771 daughter Ephraïma "Eefje" Bertha Johanna was born.[20][27] Son "Cootje" returns in 1772 to back to Kampen for his education.[22] After the death of father Stephen Hendrik and their second oldest daughter in 1773, Beata Louise decides to return with her young daughter to the Netherlands in September 1774.[2] She brings two servants with her; Eleonora Susette and Michiel.[2][10][19][24] She requested permission from the Dutch government for their stay before arrival.[24]

After arriving in Amsterdam, she commissions her cousin Jeremias to portray the two servants, her daughter "Eefje", and son "Cootje" around 1774/'75. The two servants return to Berbice after eight months in April 1775,[2][10][24][28] because within the Netherlands, slavery was illegal, and an enslaved person could free themselves in Dutch court (manumission).[29][30] This law did not apply to the colonies of the Netherlands, where slavery was legal.[31]

The portrait of Eleonora Susette is on display in the Art Gallery of Ontario.[2][11] The portrait of Michiel is in unknown private possession.[14] The portraits of Stephen Hendrik de la Sablonière, his wife Beata "Bartje" Louise Schultz, and their son Jacobus "Cootje" Johannes Christoffel are in the possession of their descendants, the Family van den Hoek–Veldjesgraaf from Kampen.[10][22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also spelt as Schultsz,[1] Schulz, and Schultze
  2. ↑ The same signature "J.Schultz fecit [year]" can also be found on other paintings of Schultz; e.g. Michiel,[14] Christiaan Slichtenbree,[7] Anna Zegerius[7], Arachiel di Paolo
  3. 1 2 The colony of Berbice (present-day Guyana) was part of the region Dutch Guiana under the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the Society of Berbice of Amsterdam, during the Dutch Republic.
  4. ↑ Also spelt as Louisa
  5. ↑ Also spelt as Brunnier[20]
  6. ↑ Their fathers are full brothers (from Berlin)

Literature

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jeremias Schultsz". research.rkd.nl (in Dutch). Netherlands Institute for Art History. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Portrait of Eleonora Susette". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Johan Christoffel Schultz". research.rkd.nl (in Dutch). Netherlands Institute for Art History. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "265 Archief van het Bestuur der Stadstekenacademie" (in Dutch). Stadsarchief Amsterdam.
  5. ↑ Kramm, Christiaan (1857). De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouwers, graveurs en bouwmeesters, van den vroegsten tot op onzen tijd (in Dutch). DBNL. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "The Island of San Lazzaro". web.archive.org. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Collectie Database – Portret van Christiaan Slichtenbree – Inventarisnummer 1980-0599". deventer.adlibhosting.com (in Dutch). Museum De Waag. Retrieved 2 May 2026. signature bottom right: J.Schultz fecit 1781.
  8. ↑ "Portret van Christiaan Slichtenbree (1750- )". research.rkd.nl (in Dutch). Netherlands Institute for Art History. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Portret van Anna Helena Zegerius ( -1828), 1781 gedateerd". research.rkd.nl (in Dutch). Netherlands Institute for Art History. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Selles, Jaap (19 March 2023). "'Follow the money' brengt Kampen van rijke Hanze naar donkere kolonie (met rijkdom, macht én slaven)" (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom". ago.ca. Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom – Object information". ago.ca. Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  13. 1 2 "The Research Behind Eleonora Susette". ago.ca. Art Gallery of Ontario. 7 June 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Christie's (22 June 2011). "Portrait of a young man wearing a green jacket holding a cane". Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Mida, Dr. Ingrid E. (5 March 2021). "Jeremias Schul, Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom". Smarthistory. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "AMPD staff member helps AGO uncover identity of woman in rare 18th-century portrait". York University's School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD). 28 April 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "1770s – Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom". fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu. Fashion History Timeline. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  18. 1 2 Humber, Larry (24 March 2026). "Researchers at Art Gallery of Ontario identify painter and subject of 18th-century portrait of Black woman". The Art Newspaper – International art news and events. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 Gubbels, Marisa (9 April 2026). "Op het doek draagt ze parels en zijde, maar Eleonora Susette blijkt een tot slaaf gemaakte vrouw te zijn" (in Dutch). NRC. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 De Nederlandsche Leeuw (1 March 1923). "Maandblad van het Genealogisch-heraldiek Genootschap "De Nederlandsche Leeuw"". Maandblad van het Genealogisch-heraldiek Genootschap (in Dutch). Vol. 41, no. 3. p. 67.
  21. 1 2 van de Voort, Johannes Petrus (25 June 1973). Proefschrift – De Westindische plantages van 1720 tot 1795: Financiën en handel (pdf) (in Dutch). Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen: Drukkerij De Witte, Eindhoven. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Wie was Beata Louise?" [Who was Beata Louise?] (in Dutch). Kampen, tussen Oost en West. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 Netscher, Pieter Marinus (1888). Geschiedenis van de koloniën Essequebo, Demerary en Berbice, van de vestiging der Nederlanders aldaar tot op onzen tijd (in Dutch). 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Mystery Portrait of Black Woman Finally Identified After Six-Year Search". Artnet News. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Te werk in 'de Barrebiesjes'" (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Opstand in Berbice in 1763" [Rebellion in Berbice in 1763] (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "Gezinsblad van Stephen Hendrik de la Sabloniere en Beata Louise Schultz (F1336420378) getr. 13 dec 1749". vanwellgroeneveld.nl (in Dutch). Van Well Groeneveld. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  28. ↑ "Meet Eleonora Susette". Foyer. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "1776 Onvrij in een vrij land" (in Dutch). Stadsarchief Amsterdam. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  30. ↑ van Nifterik, Gustaaf (21 June 2021). "Arguments related to slavery in seventeenth century Dutch legal theory". Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis [The Legal History Review]. Vol. 89, no. 1–2. pp. 158–191. doi:10.1163/15718190-12340005. ISSN 0040-7585.
  31. ↑ "Swart in Nederland" (in Dutch). Buku – Bibliotheca Surinamica. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Portrait of Eleonora Susette - Object information". art.ago.ca. Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
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