Over the past few months, we have been mainly busy figuring out who the people are in the beautiful portraits. Meanwhile, we have found this out through a wonderful quest. But there is one thing we haven't been able to solve yet. Who is the fantastic painter of these works?
The advantage is that both works are signed and dated. Both portraits have the year 1890 and the signature J. Delin.
I do not know if this painter is very well known and if there is much documentation to be found about them. Given the origin of the portrayed subjects and the painter's last name, it seems that the painter is from Belgium. I am in possession of the publications by Paul Piron: DE BELGISCHE BEELDENDE KUNSTENAARS VAN DE 19E TOT DE 21E EEUW. Paul Piron has been collecting all possible data on Belgian visual artists from the nineteenth century to the present for 40 years. He first publishes his findings in 1999, in a 1,600-page encyclopedia in which he includes no fewer than 23,000 artists. Let's quickly check if we can find more in this.
Quickly scroll to the letter “D”. Here you will find a number of artists with the last name “Delin”
Given the dating of the portraits, it could be Joseph Delin (Antwerp, 1821-1892). The complete text from Paul Piron:
DELIN, Joseph (Antwerp, 1821 – 1892)
Painter. Studied at the Academy of Antwerp under the direction of G. Wappers. Painted mainly portraits and figures, more sporadically landscapes. Romantic style. Co-founder of the Art Circle in Antwerp. Work includes pieces in the Museum at Antwerp.
State in BAS I.
It looks like this is the painter we are looking for. Let's see if we can find some more evidence. What does the interweb tell us:
Jozef Delin
Jozef Delin (Antwerp, July 6 1821 – there, December 13 1892) was a Belgian painter.
Lifecyle
Delin was a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (with Gustaf WappersHe primarily made a name for himself as a portraitist. For example, he painted portraits of Pope Pius IX. Delin was co-founder of the Antwerp Cercle Artistique, an artists' association with its own venue where meetings, parties, and exhibitions were held (now the Arenberg Theater).
Exhibitions
- Salon 1876, Antwerp, Portrait of Leopold de Wael, mayor of Antwerp
Museums and other collections
- Antwerp, KMSKA: Portrait of a painter Karel Verlat (1891) and a self-portrait (1892)
- Antwerp, Plantin-Moretus Museum: Portrait of Edward Moretus
- Brussels, KMSK
- ’s-Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum
- Antwerp, City Hall: Portrait of Marie of Hohenzollern, Countess of Flanders
- Antwerp, Carolus Borromeus Church
Portrait of a painter Karel Verlat (1891) 
Self-portrait (1892) 
Portrait of Marie of Hohenzollern, Countess of Flanders 
Edward Moretus
As we have already been able to see from the quality of the portraits, it is a highly renowned painter with works in various museums. When I look at the characteristic features in other works, the signature is exactly the same. The shape and posture of the hands in various works also show strong similarities. It is clear to me. We are indeed dealing with the famous painter Joseph (Jozef) Delin.
Unfortunately, this ends our quest for the origin of these exceptional portraits. I am the painter Joseph Delin and those portrayed Alphonse van Delft en Delia Guyot Very grateful for this wonderful trip. On to the next adventure…..
Delinstraat, Antwerp:
Delin Street 
Map of Antwerp
This actually concerns the Belgian painter Josephus Petrus Lambertus DELIN, born on July 6, 1821 in Antwerp and died there on December 13, 1892. He was a son of Jacques Joseph DELIN (1796-1835) and Anna Maria Van Bouwel (1797-1828).
I am myself a direct descendant of his parents, through my mother who is therefore also a DELIN.
In our family, we own 3 similar portraits, one depicting his stepmother, one depicting Gustave Delin, his brother, and one depicting Louise Franquin, his brother's wife. In addition, our family also owns a portrait of the Countess of Flanders like the one in the Antwerp City Hall, but not full-length. Naturally, we also own other documents concerning the painter, such as his diploma, tributes, the photograph that served for his self-portrait, etc.
At home, I have two large paintings by Delin, which I inherited. One is of my great-great-grandfather Eduard Moormann (1861) and the other is of his mother, Agnes Moormann-Ten Brink, who remarried Anton Sinkel of the Winkel van Sinkel after her husband's death. I know that other paintings by Delin of my family still exist. Beautifully painted and large.
Dear Peter Paul,
By chance, I read your message about the painter Delin and the family portraits of Eduard and Agnes Moormann in your possession.
At the time, I got in touch with Jan Moormann in Ouderkerk aan de IJssel and I am aware that he has written a lot about the Moormann genealogy branch.
We were in possession of 2 family portraits of Samuel Lipman and Maria Agnes Moormann,
painted by J. Delin.
We recently donated these portraits to the Jewish Cultural Quarter.
They were very pleased with this donation.
If you are interested, I can send you the photos of these portraits.
I have fond memories of the conversations and the enthusiasm of Jan Moormann (who had a men's fashion store in Amsterdam at the time) and I look back on them with joy.
Sincerely, Ellen Koolen email: d.koolen@hetnet.nl
I have 2 family portraits hanging by J. Delin, year 1851/1852, the man's name is Bernardus Lans, he was a beer brewer in Haarlem, his wife Sophia Hafkenscheid.
She was a daughter of Michiel Hafkenscheid in Amsterdam, who was a wholesale dealer in varnish and paint products. The cabinet with pigments is in the possession of the Teylers Museum in Haarlem and a book has been written about it, *Een kabinet vol kleur*. There is also a portrait of the family, painted by Otto de Boer.
I went to Antiques Roadshow with the paintings by Delin and I attracted a lot of attention