This work states to be ‘unique’ work by Armand Heins (1856-1938) after the work of Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) with the title ‘Allegory of Fertility’. Pencil handwriting at the bottom stating it is ‘unique’. Pencil hand-signed bottom right under the picture. Signed ‘A. Heins’ bottom left in the artwork.

Craftsmanship

Armand Jean Heins was a Belgian etcher, lithographer and painter born on August 1, 1856 in Ghent. He died after a successful career in Ghent on December 25, 1938.

After his lessons at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts from 1867 to 1878, Heins left for Paris and Italy. In Paris, Heins became acquainted with art directions and styles that were common in France at the time. He recorded his experiences and sights in numerous sketches and paintings, which he later processed into etchings when he returned home. When he was not traveling he did make sketches and watercolors of the rural environment outside Ghent and in Zeeland (The Netherlands).

In 1879 he was one of the founders of the Cercle artistique et littéraire in Ghent. From 1880 he stayed for a while in Brussels where he became a member of the Société nationale des aquarellistes et pastelistes. He was also a frequent participant in the triennial Salons in Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels, organized by the Société Royale pour l’encouragement des Beaux-Arts. He exhibited many etchings and drawings during the many Salons he attended.

‘After’

The word after is often used in museums, art galleries and antique stores. The meaning is very simple, it is a copy of that specific artist’s work where the word ‘after’ is placed before or after the artist’s name. It is very important not to forget that the word ‘after’ has nothing to do with ‘faking’ the artist’s work.

An (unknown) artist can paint a copy of a famous work which is exhibited in a museum. This copy if not a fake, because the (unknown) artist is not claiming to be the original artist of the work. When the (unknown) artist wants to sell his own copy, the word ‘after’ is placed before or after the original artist’s work. Now, the work is not a fake, but a nicely made copy.

Using the word ‘after’ for copies has already been done for centuries. But there are different levels of ‘afters’. An ‘after’ can already be an ‘after’ when an (unknown) artist is copying in 2020 the work ‘The starry night’ by Van Gogh. The (unknown) artist is far removed from the original artist by time and association. A very high level of an ‘after’ is when the original artist is involved or approves the ‘after’. Even an original signature by the original artist can be placed on the ‘after’.

Even tough an ‘after’ is a copy, the value and quality can still be very high and ‘afters’ will stay highly collectible.