Frans David Oerder (South African, 1867-1944)


Na die maal (After the Meal) signed 'F D Oerder' (upper left); bears fragmentary exhibition label (verso)oil on canvas140 x 85cm (55 1/8 x 33 7/16in).
|ProvenanceThe collection of Prof. Molengraaf, circa 1908-1920.The collection of Pieter Kruger, Mayor of Bethal.A private collection.ExhibitedCape Town, South African National Gallery, 1896.LiteratureProf. Alexander Duffey, Frans Oerder: Anglo-Boereoorlogtekeninge en Skilderye,(Pretoria, 2017) pp.48-49.Following a visit to Zululand in 1898, Oerder painted a series of works that depict the life of indigenous peoples in KwaZulu-Natal. Na die maal (After the meal) was one of the earliest to be executed. It depicts four African men around a three-legged pot with mielie meal porridge. The figure on the left in the white shirt looks down into the pot hopefully, whilst his seated companion tastes whether it is ready.