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The Complete Works of Philippe Smit
by Andreas Narzt and Florence Castellani
Catalogue entry
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Photo: Christopher Burke Studios, NY; © FdDPS
Series
Series: Berendina
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PS 107 (P 1505)
Berendina in a Green Blouse, Pink Background
Verso: Study of Two Young Gipsy Women
c.1914
Pastel on cardboard
34 5/16 x 32 1/2 in. (87 x 82.5 cm)
Neither signed, nor dated
On the back: a metal plate: Mme Smit on the frame upper left and a handwritten label: Mr. & Mrs. Pitcairn/ N° 1505/ Mrs. Smit in Green Blouse/ Pink Background on the cardboard upper center.
Inventories
Inv. Berendina Hubscher, n.d. [ante 1952], s.n., private archives: no. [21] [P1505]: p. [1], Pastels: Portrait de Madame Smit, fond rouge (abimé).
Donation Berendina Hubscher, 20-06-1952, (attestation 03-09-1953), n.p., s.n. private archives: no number [P 1505]: A Monsieur le Révérend Théodore Pitcairn et Madame Maryke Urban, son épouse: Pastels, 5- Portrait de Madame Smit en blouse verte, fond rose.
Inv. Pitcairn, n.d. [c.1957], n.p., LNC archives: no. P 1505: Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Pitcairn (donation by Mrs. Smit), Portrait of Mrs. Smit (green blouse, pink background), Smit, Pastel, 35 x 32 1/2 [in.].
Provenance
Berendina Hubscher
Theodore & Marijke Pitcairn (donation from the above in 1952)
Nishan Yardumian, artist and a good friend of Theodor Pitcairn (gift from the above)
Siri Yardumian Hurst (by descent)
Elizabeth Pitcairn (in exchange for Jeune fille dans une cuisine (Girl in a Kitchen) [PS 111])
Exhibitions
1916 Larensche Kunsthandel
Larensche Kunsthandel, Amsterdam, Tentoonstelling Philippe Smit, April 01–30, 1916, ? (see Zelling).Literature & Primary Sources
Zelling 1916
Zelling, Anton. "Philippe Smit." De Hofstad, 15-04-1916, p. 2 ("… portret der staande vrouw in groene blouse tegen rose fond …").Notes
When Philippe Smit wrote to his friends the Massés: "I have done a pastel of bohemian women who were in the area [Hilversum]"1, he was probably referring to this study of two gypsy women.
1. "j’ai fait un pastel des bohémienne[s] qui se trouvaient dans le pays [Hilversum]" (Philippe Smit, ALS to René and Mathilde Massé, Hilversum, n.d. [13 April 1914], Massé album, private archives, Paris).
See biographical note on Berendina Hubscher.
Record last updated July 4, 2024. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "Berendina in a Green Blouse, Pink Background, c.1914 (PS 107)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=107 (accessed on May 10, 2025).