Paris – The Collection of the late John and Joanna Meulkens of 19th century paintings and drawings will be offered at auction at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris on 13 November 2024 in the 19th Century and Orientalist paintings sale.

John and Joanna Meulkens began their collection in the 1980s. Guided by leading art dealers, they expanded their interests to include a wide range of works from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods. They were drawn to pioneering artists such as Jongkind and Boudin, whose innovation influenced Impressionism, as well as Maufra, Signac, Pissarro, Lhermitte (admired by Van Gogh), and Raffaëlli, a close friend and protégé of Degas.

Born in London to Dutch parents and educated at St. Albans School, John Meulkens moved to Holland in his late teens. He was a close friend of the sculptor James Butler and a great admirer of his work. He worked as a Management Consultant on assignments throughout Europe, living with his wife Joanna, for some time in Athens, Madrid, Hamburg, Stockholm and Turku (Finland).

Meulkens wrote a book on James Butler: "James Butler. An Extended Personal View of a Collector" and on the occupation years: "Life in Holland during the German Occupation (1940-1945)". He also wrote various books: "The Croix Rouge Farm Memorial" (bilingual English/ French), "The Ultimate Experience" (describing a visit to the USA) and "The Joys of Collecting and Painting".

Aimée Honig, Bonhams' Senior Specialist in the Netherlands, commented, "As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Impressionism this year, it was the perfect timing to sell this private collection which represents beautiful examples of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. John and Joanna Meulkens assembled their collection over a 40-year period with a profound love for art, a dedication to discovery, and the joy of capturing timeless beauty, a legacy of passion that continues to inspire."

Highlights of the collection include:

• Léon Augustin Lhermitte (1844-1925), Canal à Gand, 1895, pastel on paper (estimate: €3,000-5,000). Delicate, atmospheric works such as this pastel are a hallmark of the artist's gifted draughstmanship. Monique Le Pelley Fonteny, a scholar of Lhermitte, wrote, "In his drawings he achieved a masterful subtlety between light and shadow, white and black, about which Théodore de Banville once remarked: "In his hands charcoal and black chalk are like magical tools."' Lhermitte's charcoal drawings were admired by other artists, notably Vincent Van Gogh.

• Un hameau en Isère, 1883, watercolour, gouache and black chalk on beige paper by Dutch painter and print maker, Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891), whose free manner was seen as a forerunner to Impressionism (estimate: €1,500-2,000).

• Stanislas Lépine (1835-1892), Le Parc du Trocadéro, oil on panel (estimate: €2,000-3,000). Considered as one of the forerunners of Impressionism, Stanislas Lépine made his reputation painting Parisian landscapes, particularly the River Seine with its banks, bridges and barges, the old streets of Montmartre, or the Trocadéro. Influenced by his childhood spent on the coast of Normandy, the artist also produced numerous marine paintings mostly of port views in Caen and Rouen. He became specialized in depicting moonlight views mostly in his imagery of ports and the canals of Paris.

Another part of the collection will be offered at auction in Paris on 4 December in the Impressionist & Modern Art sale.

Other Highlights of the sale include:

• La Lecture by Vincenzo Irolli (1860-1949), oil on canvas (estimate: €20,000-30,000). Throughout his career, the Neapolitan artist made a particular speciality of genre paintings, as well as depictions of mothers and their babies, young Neapolitan girls, interior scenes, portraits, still life subjects and religious scenes.

• Scène de combat naval by François-Etienne Musin (1820-1888), oil on canvas (estimate: €5,000-7,000).