Barges in the IJ with the three Towers (Schuiten in 't IJ met de drie torens)
Soft ground etching with aquatint printed in colors, circa 1910-11, de Groot 150 C-II, Boon 152, van Wisselingh 474; edition 55 plus proofs. 15 3/4 x 13 in. Signed and inscribed in pencil, "proefdruk." This is a superb impression of this very rare print. The margins are full and the paper has a slighly yellow tint which enhances the overall effects. (The paper bears a VAN GELDER ZONEN watermark.) The condition is excellent apart from a wrinkle in the lower left margin. Witsen produced only three color prints all published by E.J. van Wisselingh. (In their catalogue they title this print as "Turfschepen III" or "Peat Boats III".) The towers at the right background are those of the Basilica of Saint Nicolas on the Prins Hendrikkade. The letters in the title, "IJ," refer to the Amsterdam waterfront. This harbor leads out to the North Sea.
$5,000

Damrak I
Etching and aquatint, 1905-06, De Groot 118 (vi/VI), Boon 112, van Wisselingh 444; edition about 95 plus 20 artists proofs. 15 3/4 x 19 5/8 in. Signed in pencil, lower right, and numbered in pencil, lower left. Here we have a rich, moody, atmospheric impression which is so typical of Witsen's work. (His paintings, too, tend to be somewhat somber.) The paper is a heavy laid without a watermark. The margins are full and the condition is fine. Witsen did four views of Damrak during this 1905-06 period. Today the Damrak is a partially filled in canal between Centraal Station and Dam Square.
$1,800

Grain Mill, Wijk bij Duurstede
Etching and aquatint, circa 1908, DeGroot 134 (iii/III), edition 95. 12 7/8 x 9 3/4 in. Signed and numbered in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on cream laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. A unique touched proof of this print is illustrated and discussed on pages 174-175 of Holland on Paper in the Age of Art Nouveau (2014) by Cliff Ackley.
SOLD

Grand Canal, Venice (Gondel komt aanvaren in het Canale Grande)
Etching and aquatint, 1914-1919, de Groot 178; edition about 100 plus proofs. 13 1/2 x 15 7/8 in. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb impression of an outstanding Venice print by the artist. The margins are wide and probably untrimmed. The condition is excellent. Witsen, like Whistler and many others, was fascinated by this city and produced many prints and drawings based on his observations. His work was quite popular at the time and his publisher over the years was E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam.
SOLD

Halvemaansteeg (Amsterdam)
Etching and aquatint, 1907-09, De Groot 127, van Wisselingh 453; edition probably 100. 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a fine, atmospheric impression. The margins are somewhat narrow and there's a small, skillfully repaired tear in the upper right corner margin not affecting the image. Witsen specialized in these compelling, beautifully rendered views of Amsterdam and other Dutch cities. His work was popular at the time and his publisher was E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam. Witsen was also a gifted painter and photographer.
$1,400

Oude Waal, Amsterdam, with the clothes washing business of the Veltkamp Sisters
Etching and aquatint, circa 1912, de Groot 164 (vi or vii / VII), Boon 157, van Wisselingh 479; edition probably about 95. 11 5/8 x 16 7/8 in. Signed in pencil and inscribed "No.9". This is a superb rich impression of this endearing Amsterdam street scene. The margins are full and the condition is fine. The paper is a sturdy cream wove.
SOLD

Oudezijds Achterburgwal, twee deuren in het midden (...two doors in the middle)
Etching and aquatint, circa 1905-1906, de Groot 115 (iv or v of V); twenty proofs and a numbered edition of 95. 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. Signed and numbered in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This stellar work is from Witsen's series of Amsterdam views which date from the period beginning in 1901 until 1907. He had produced a series of views of Dordrecht just before these. In discussing a similar Dordrecht view, Cliff Ackley states, "The close cropping and careful parallel alignment of pictorial elements with the picture plane give the Witsen strong abstract overtones, looking ahead a couple of decades to the right-angle geometries of Mondrian's purely abstract works." (See pages 178-179 of Holland on Paper in the Age of Art Nouveau (2014).
SOLD

Voorstraatshaven III (Dordrecht)
Etching and aquatint, circa 1900, De Groot 94b, van Wisselingh 420; edition probably 100. 11 x 12 1/4 in. Signed and numbered in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This is the published state. This Piranesi-like view depicts the Visbrug (The Fish Bridge) and it's one of several creative views of Dordrecht etched by Witsen.
$1,400

Voorstraatshaven VII, Dordrecht IX
Etching and aquatint, circa 1898-1900, de Groot 99a, edition unknown. 7 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. Signed in pencil. A fine impression printed on off-white wove paper. Fine condition. Probably the full margins. In addition to Witsen's many views of Amsterdam, he also did prints of Dordrecht, Rotterdam, London, Venice and even San Francisco.
SOLD