DIRK ANTOON JOSEPHUS FRANCISCUS TEUPKEN (1828-1859)
Maria Susanna Hendrika off the coast of Texel, 1844
Signed and dated Te Amsterdam 1846 lower left
Ink and watercolour on paper, 56.5 x 74 cm
In original frame and glass with behind glass text in gold reading: Maria Susanna Hendrika Kapt S Nielsen naar Batavia den 6 December 1844 Texel uitzeilende aan boord-hebbend Zyne Doorluchtige Hoogwh J.Groof Bisschop van Canea Vic. Apost. van Batavia Oud Prefect der Surinaamse Missie (Maria Susanna Hendrika, under captain S. Nielsen sailing from Texel 6 December 1844 for Batavia, onboard J. Groof, bishop of Canea, apostolic vicar of Batavia, former prefect of the Catholic mission in Surinam).
Jacobus Grooff, the correct spelling of his name is with two ff's, (Amsterdam 20 Sept. 1800 – Paramaribo 29 April 1852), was a Dutch missionary and bischop of the Roman Catholic Church. He studied theology at the seminary in Warmond. He was ordained in 1825 and departed as a missionary to Surinam in 1827 where he was appointed apostolic prefect of Surinam, the successor of Martinus van der Weijden and occupied himself particularly with combatting leprosy.
In 1842 Grooff was appointed apostolic vicar of Batavia and titular bishop of Canea. He left Surinam, was ordained bishop in Leiden in 1844 and arrived in Batavia in 1845. There he soon came into conflict with the Dutch colonial government over the appointments of priests in Semarang and Surabaja. When he refused to bow to the demands of the government, he was suspended and expelled from the Dutch East Indies. In 1847 Grooff was sent to Surinam again with retention of his bishop's tittle. He died in Paramaribo in 1859.
Teupken or Töpke had a shop in writing and drawing necessities and picture frames. He is best known for his watercolours and drawings of ships as was his father who was a school teacher and also an aquarellist of ships.