Johannes Franciscus Spohler
(Rotterdam 1853 – Amsterdam 1923)
A View of the Keizersgracht with Elegant People Strolling by Felix Meritis Society, Amsterdam
Signed lower left
Oil on panel, 15.9 x 20.2 cm
Provenance:
– Richard Green Art Gallery, London, (inv. no. AA 439)
– Private collection, the Netherlands
Note:
The Felix Meritis Society (‘Happy through Merit’) opened in Amsterdam in the late eighteenth century to promote the arts and sciences in a broader sense than the artists collectives popular at the time. The society’s drawing classroom was outfitted for study from live models. Felix Meritis’ oval concert hall was the main music hall in Amsterdam until late into the nineteenth century and enjoyed a great international reputation. Many famous musicians performed there.