Who is the Dutch artist?

[Greensleeves]

I know we've had success in the past in identifying artists so I was wondering if RCers would like to have a go at this one.  This painting belonged to my father and all I know about it is that it's Dutch.  I don't even know how old it is but it was bought from an art dealer about 50 years ago and it was old then.

I've increased the size of the artist's signature to hopefully assist and would be very grateful for any suggestions.

Many thanks
GS

[Viktoria]

The first letter seems to be an E, but only half the word is showing.
In style it is similar to work by Walt Curlee.
ButI do not have dates etc.
Viktoria.

[Greensleeves]

Many thanks Viktoria - I think I might have to be brave and take it out of its frame so I can get a better shot of that signature.

[Mike in Cumbria]

Many thanks Viktoria - I think I might have to be brave and take it out of its frame so I can get a better shot of that signature.

Yes , go for it. It looks rather like a diaeresis after the first letter - in Dutch this only appears above a "y". If it is an umlaut, above a "u", then you're looking for someone with a German rather than Dutch name.

[Kay99]

Great - I was just about to suggest taking it out of the frame

[Greensleeves]

My heart will be in my mouth as the back of the mount is firmly taped..... oooh err..... I feel the spirit of my father looming over me warning me not to mess it up 

[Viktoria]

Mike is that when you get an i and a j joined together with therefore  two dots ,one each ,so Zwijnaarde is pronounced Zwine ard?
I can’t do it on here but in handwritten signs etc the i and j appear together as a round y but still with the two dots, iys ( ice) is another, fijn, mijn,zijn,etc. Well you see it in Flanders.
Viktoria.

[KGarrad]

Many thanks Viktoria - I think I might have to be brave and take it out of its frame so I can get a better shot of that signature.

Yes , go for it. It looks rather like a diaeresis after the first letter - in Dutch this only appears above a "y". If it is an umlaut, above a "u", then you're looking for someone with a German rather than Dutch name.

In modern Dutch, the letter Y (Greek-ij, i-grec, or ypsilon) only occurrs in loan words.
Dutch language uses the ij - considered by many to be a letter in itself. Some dictionaries consider it to be the 25th letter of the alphabet, between X and Y.
Telephone Directories sort "Y" and "IJ" together!

Examples: Ice in Dutch is ijs, Rijs - rice, Vrijdag - Friday.
Johan Cruijff and Ruud van Nistelrooij are footballers whose names contain  "ij".

[Mike in Cumbria]

Mike is that when you get an i and a j joined together with therefore  two dots ,one each ,so Zwijnaarde is pronounced Zwine ard?
I can’t do it on here but in handwritten signs etc the i and j appear together as a round y but still with the two dots, iys ( ice) is another, fijn, mijn,zijn,etc. Well you see it in Flanders.
Viktoria.

Mike is that when you get an i and a j joined together with therefore  two dots ,one each ,so Zwijnaarde is pronounced Zwine ard?
I can’t do it on here but in handwritten signs etc the i and j appear together as a round y but still with the two dots, iys ( ice) is another, fijn, mijn,zijn,etc. Well you see it in Flanders.
Viktoria.

No, the diaeresis is the two small dots over a letter, such as the umlaut in German ü . 
I think I see one near the beginning of the name, but it might well be something different altogether.