Cecilia Maria Barthelemon

Written by Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn

 

Paperback

60 pp, 15 (h) x 21 (w) cm 

ISBN 978-90-5613-124-1

Language: Dutch

Year of publication: 2021

In November 2020, art historian Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn (23) discovered the portrait of a once famous musician and composer: Cecilia Maria Barthelemon (1776-1859). To his surprise, there was no other known portrait of her and no biography of her existed. Was this really her portrait? Whose handwriting do we find on the back of the painting? These were questions that set him off on a quest to find out more. 

This booklet, published to accompany the exhibition of the portrait, includes short biographies not just of Cecilia and her father, the composer and violinist Francois Barthelemon, but also of the long-forgotten artist Jonathan Cattermole, who died tragically aged only 24. As a result of his research, the author identified a second portrait of Cecilia Maria Barthelemon – a miniature portrait – which is also included and briefly discussed in this book.