Signed and dated ‘dN04’. 

Provenance:
J.H. de Bois, 1930s;
Harry Prenen, Haarlem, c.1950;
His widow, Amsterdam, until c.2013;
Haarlem Oprechte Veiling.

Exhibitions:
Arnhem 1951, no. 72.

Literature:
Bink & Veeze, Leiden 2025, no. 222.

Carel de de Nerée tot Babberich's idiosyncratic personality are nowhere better expressed than in the several self-portraits he produced in his lifetime. Here, his shaded eyes hide the peculiar intelligence which saturates his writing, self-fashioning a recalcitrantly mysterious identity. This is paired with an eccentric formality, with de Nerée tot Babberich depicting himself in a characteristic high collar, which can be seen in various photographic portraits of the artist. According to Aan stille wateren [“On Still Waters”], his fashion was a minor sensation in the Hague. He writes, ‘Look, these are my collars; I hear I am scandalising the whole city with them [… I have] one for every day, then you can use them for months’.