Oeuvre register · Etchings, watercolours and cityscapes

The Hague · 1872–1956

rensburg.nl

Substantiation and traceability

Sources

Harbour view Rotterdam — etching from 1918
Havengezicht, Rotterdam — etching, 1918

This site is built from public sources. Every statement on rensburg.nl can be traced to one of the references below, arranged by nature and weight. Where a claim cannot be verified, or only partly so, that is stated in the text and in the overview of uncertainties at the bottom of this page.

Sources 01–05Archival sources — civil status and registers

  1. Marriage record, Rotterdam, 24 September 1902Open Archieven, SAR 999-06, inv. 1902K, folio k99v — spouse and both spouses’ parents.Authority: very high
  2. Death record, The Hague, 8 November 1956Open Archieven, HGA 0335-01, inv. 1759, deed B2232 — date of death, age (84) and occupation (artist).Authority: very high
  3. The Hague population register, family card 1913Open Archieven, HGA 0354-01, inv. 1429 — place of residence and family composition.Authority: very high
  4. Amsterdam militia registerOpen Archieven, SAA 5182, inv. 4345 — confirmation of the date of birth.Authority: very high
  5. CABR file 28577 “Rensburg, Eugenius”Nationaal Archief / Open Archieven, NA 2.09.09, inv. 90721 — political investigation file (1945–1952), access restricted until 1 January 2027. Only the file’s existence is a fact; its contents are unknown.Authority: high

Sources 06–07Art-historical institutes and databases

  1. RKDartists 66323 — Eugène RensburgRKD, Netherlands Institute for Art History — qualifications, training, work locations, the “Nederlanders in Parijs” project and fourteen images in RKDimages.Authority: very high
  2. Amsterdam Museum, person record Rensburgadamlink.nl — link between RKD and Amsterdam Museum; the handle reference has since died, the record existed.Authority: average

Sources 08–10Scholarly literature and reference works

  1. J.F. Heijbroek in De Boekenwereld 18, p. 48DBNL — Rensburg as a draughtsman of the Leuvehaven, alongside J.H. van Mastenbroek.Authority: high
  2. Pisuisse edition, note 53DBNL — scholarly edition; dates the start of the Oedipus series (premiere 10 September 1913).Authority: high
  3. P.A. Scheen, Lexicon Nederlandse beeldende kunstenaars 1750–1950 (1969/70)Standard reference work, entry Rensburg — print only; quoted via art-dealer texts, not verified online.Authority: high

Sources 11–18Auction and market documentation

  1. Antiquariaat Fokas Holthuis, newsletter 976 (no. 36)Detailed object description of the Oedipus set: pencil sketch, large etching (3/5), “Premier état / Unicum” and “Épreuve d’artiste”.Authority: high
  2. Antiquariaat Fokas Holthuis, calendar no. 34“Mooi Holland anno 1933”, self-published in lithography by C. Immig & Zn. — twelve monthly sheets, twelve cities.Authority: high
  3. Christie’s, lot 4044967Harbour scene in oil, 1897 (auction 21 January 2003). The exhibition label citing a silver medal is a third-party claim.Authority: high
  4. artnet — Eugène RensburgFive auction results 1990–2016; prices behind a paywall.Authority: average
  5. MutualArt — Eugène Rensburg45 aggregated lots; record USD 6,462 for “A forest brook” (Sotheby’s Amsterdam, 2011).Authority: average
  6. Kunstveiling — auction results Rensburg103 items sold since 2014; titles, dimensions and dates, prices behind a login.Authority: average
  7. Veilinghuis Peerdeman, catalogue 15 December 2019 (link niet meer actief)Lot 4463 (Kralingsche Plas 1925 and Groenplaats Antwerp; realised EUR 75) and lot 4465.Authority: average
  8. Gallerease / Mefferdt & De Jonge“Havengezicht Rotterdam” (1918) and “Wezenbrug Rotterdam” (1915–1920), asking price EUR 1,450.Authority: average

Sources 19–24Art trade and object documentation

  1. Zuijderwal — Rensburg biographyArt-dealer text based on RKD and Scheen; “a handy city draughtsman”.Authority: average
  2. Belgian Art Gallery — Eugène RensburgDealer biography, likewise based on RKD/Scheen.Authority: average
  3. Grafiekcollectie.nlVolendam etching (traditional dress and fishing boats), signed in pencil.Authority: average
  4. Schilders van het Westland“Brug over de Lee bij De Lier”, pencil drawing 1921, signed “Eug.Rensburg”.Authority: average
  5. Art of Spies — etchings“Haven Rotterdam”, two impressions (11 × 16 cm).Authority: average
  6. Kunstveiling.nl, item 283566“Lange Torenstraat Rotterdam”, etching 1910, signed and dated in pencil.Authority: average

Sources 25–27Classified ads and own pages

  1. Marktplaats — search results RensburgClassified ads: Vijverberg lithograph (1910), grain merchants’ jubilee etching (1942), watercolours. Object documentation, no attribution evidence.Authority: limited
  2. 2ememain.be — Liège engraving“Maison Havart, quai de Lacoffe, Liège” — indirectly supports a stay in Liège.Authority: limited
  3. rensburg.nl — earlier biography and shopFamily chronicle with unique claims; contains demonstrable errors (see the uncertainties below).Authority: limited

Uncertainties and open questions

  • Size of the oeuvre. “More than 5,000 etchings, around 450 of Rotterdam” is an art-trade estimate without substantiation.
  • World exhibition and medal. The label on the 1897 painting cannot be linked to any edition; the well-known Amsterdam world exhibition (1895) predates the painting.
  • Membership of De Onafhankelijke. Only via the family site and copying dealer texts; the RKD records no membership.
  • Exhibitions and museum collections. Claims about the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Belastingmuseum Rotterdam, Museum Veluwezoom and the Gorcums Museum have not been independently verified.
  • Places of residence. Liège, London, Marseille and Nice rest on the family chronicle; only Liège is indirectly supported.
  • CABR file. The Nationaal Archief holds a political investigation file (CABR 28577) under the name Eugenius Rensburg, access restricted until 1 January 2027. Name, date and place of birth match, but whether the file concerns the artist has not been established; the existence of a file means nothing in itself.
  • Reference works. Scheen (1969/70) is known only through dealer quotations; no online entry was found for Benezit or Thieme-Becker.

Further reading

The RKD maintains image documentation and documentation folders on Rensburg’s city views, prints and portraits; see RKDartists 66323. Delpher and the Rotterdam Beeldbank could not be read at the time of the research; we explicitly acknowledge that gap in this list.

Eugène Rensburg · 1872–1956