Who is the Girl with bird painted by Jan Mankes?
Around 200 paintings by Jan Mankes (1889-1920) are known to exist, mostly small works in which nature plays an important role. He mainly painted landscapes, animals and portraits. He painted Girl with bird in 1912. Until recently, the identity of the girl in the painting was unknown, until a granddaughter contacted the RKD.
Girl with a White Cap
Jan Mankes' painting shows a girl wearing a white cap, a white apron and holding a bird in her hand. The painting is familiar to Anne Grichnik; a reproduction of the work hung in the living room of her parental home. Her grandmother Anna Veldman (1908-1996) had told her at the time that she was the girl in question and that Jan Mankes had portrayed her sitting on a chair in the garden.
Bridgemaster's cottage
Anne Grichnik decided to contact the RKD because an image of the painting was included in the RKD Research database. Not only did she reveal the identity of the girl, she also provided more information about Anna Veldman and her relationship with Jan Mankes: ‘Grandma was born in Knipe in 1908. Her father Andries Veldman was a bridge keeper and they lived on the Schoterlandse Compagnonsvaart in De Knipe. The bridge keeper's house was not far from the house where Jan Mankes lived. Mother Riemkje Haijes washed for the Mankes family and Anna often went with her to visit the family. Anna posed for the painter during one of those visits, which resulted in the charming painting.
Current owner unknown
Girl with bird has never been in the possession of Anna Veldman's family. The painting was last seen at a Christie's auction in 2017. Who bought the painting then is unknown. Identifying the girl in the painting and finding out more about her is of interest to the current owner, so we hope that he or she reads this and contacts info@rkd.nl. The information about the painting in RKD Research has been updated. The title Portrait of Anna Veldman is now given as a variant title, and Anne Grichnik's explanation will also be shown.