At the farrier

Born in Amsterdam in 1812, Wouterus Verschuur's talent was already recognized at an early age. He was awarded with gold medals for his entries in the 1831 and 1832 exhibitions at Felix Meritis, a centre for arts, culture and science in his hometown. In 1833 he was appointed a member of the Royal Academy of Amsterdam and in 1839 he joined the artists' society Arti et Amicitiae. Verschuur was well-respected and admired among his peers for his technical skills and he taught a number of highly successful artists, most notably Anton Mauve. His paintings were already much sought after during his lifetime.

Wouterus Verschuur is most famous for his depiction of horses, a trade he initiated already in the studio of Pieter Gerardus van Os (1776-1839) and which he refined throughout his career. Part of van Os' tutorship was the study and copying of the oeuvre of the celebrated 17th century horse painter Philips Wouwerman (1619-1668). In his work he displays a true insight in a horse's fluid movements. Verschuur's exceptional skills are evidently visible in the present monumental painting: the musculature of the horses and immaculate grooming are not only brilliantly observed, but rendered with great care and accurate precision. The atmospheric depiction of the farrier workshop, captured in the light of a late afternoon and the sensitive details in each of the figures and in the architecture, show Verschuur's accomplishment as a painter.