Painting, marouflé, “lying nude”, Klaas Mobach, The Netherlands, 1940

Beautiful painting of a nude woman lying down. Wonderful color tones.

Signed and dated in the lower left corner. 1940

Dimensions 64 x 50 cm, with frame 66 x 52 cm

About the artist

Klaas II Mobach, born in 1893 in Harlingen, was a sculptor and ceramist and belongs to the well-known Utrecht artist family Mobach, who played an important role in Dutch applied arts of the twentieth century with their ceramics studio. He spent his childhood in Friesland but later settled in Utrecht, where he further developed his artistic career and eventually passed away in 1976.

Mobach was trained in sculpture and also learned the craft of ceramics within the family business, which had been known since the nineteenth century for its artisanal quality and innovation. His artistry operated at the intersection of fine art and applied art. As a sculptor, he worked with traditional materials like stone and bronze, but his affinity for clay and glaze meant that he also created ceramic sculptures and functional objects.

His style was predominantly figurative, with a preference for human and animal forms, but also for simple, monumental compositions that worked well in public spaces. In Utrecht and the surrounding area, several of his works can still be found, often in the context of architecture or urban planning, such as facade stones, reliefs, and freestanding sculptures. Klaas II Mobach is often seen as an artist who connected the tradition of craftsmanship with a personal, understated visual language. His work shows how the Mobach family was significant not only to the ceramics industry but also to the wider visual arts. He remained active in Utrecht until his death in 1976, where he was part of the city’s art community. His work makes him an important link within the Dutch figurative sculpture and ceramics tradition of the twentieth century, and a representative of the close connection between art and craft that made the Mobach name known far beyond Utrecht.