Self-portrait (1795) is the most famous painting by Cornelia Scheffer, held by the Dordrechts Museum in Dordrecht. Woman with Two Children on a Country Road (1811) and The Women of Souli (1833) are the next two works the world knows best. From the 4 works of Cornelia Scheffer in our catalogue, here are the 4 that collectors and museum visitors look at most, with the year, the museum and the story of each.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026. Every masterpiece on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, at the size you choose.
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Cornelia Scheffer | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Dordrechts Museum |
Dordrecht | 4 | Self-portrait, Woman with Two Children on a Country Road, The Women of Souli |
Self-portrait (1795), Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht. Next come Woman with Two Children on a Country Road (1811) and The Women of Souli (1833).
26 years old: Self-portrait dates from 1795 and Cornelia Scheffer was born in 1769.
Our catalogue lists 4 works by Cornelia Scheffer, dated from 1795 to 1833.
Most of them are in Dordrechts Museum (Dordrecht). The table above lists the museums one by one.
The earliest on this page is Self-portrait (1795), the latest The Women of Souli (1833).
Self-portrait, Woman with Two Children on a Country Road and The Women of Souli are among the 4 works on this page held by the Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, in the size you choose, from the painting's own page.
Dordrecht, 1769. Cornelia Lamme enters the world as the daughter of Arie Lamme, a landscape painter whose influence likely shaped her early hands. She grows up within an artistic circle, learning the delicate nuances of portrait miniatures. Her childhood is marked by linguistic agility, mastering French, German, and English. The stability of the Dutch Republic shifts in 1787 when Prussian forces arrive; the family flees to the southern Netherlands for two years before returning home.
In October 1794, a union occurs that merges two artistic lineages. Cornelia marries Johann Baptist Scheffer. This partnership is defined by shared skill and the movement of a family through The Hague, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. She carries the title of miniature painter, working with watercolor and gouache on ivory to capture the likenesses of her own kin.
The year 1809 brings a sudden fracture. Johann dies at age 45. The financial weight of the family shifts. Following the death of her husband, Cornelia moves to Brussels, and by 1811, she settles in Paris. This relocation is a calculated decision; she believes the French capital offers better prospects for an artist than the Netherlands. She brings her sons, Ary and Hendrik, into this new environment.
Life in Paris involves navigating the district of Saint-Germain under difficult financial circumstances. As her son Ary gains prominence, Cornelia finds a new rhythm within his orbit. Starting in 1821, she begins working as a copyist for him and Hendrik. She uses her brush to replicate their paintings, effectively building a personal collection of their work through duplication.
Cornelia’s presence in the Parisian art scene is felt through her proximity to the great figures of the era. While living with Ary in his villa near Montmartre, she likely encounters the likes of Eugene Delacroix, Theodore Gericault, and Jean Baptiste-Dominating Ingres. Her role as a mother and a copyist places her at the center of a significant artistic household.
Her technical output remains rooted in the intimate scale of her training:
She remains in Paris until her death in 1839 at age 70. She is laid to rest in the Montmartre Cemetery.