Joseph Henri François Van Lerius (23 December 1823,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

– 29 February 1876,

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

) was a Belgian painter in the Romantic-Historical style.

Life

Van Lerius was born in

Boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

, Antwerp, on 23 November 1823. In 1838, he was already an apprentice draftsman at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. From 1839 to 1844, he was a student of

Gustave Wappers Egide Charles Gustave, Baron Wappers (23 August 18036 December 1874) was a Belgian painter. His work is generally considered to be Flemish and he signed his work with the Dutch form of his name, Gustaaf Wappers.Note: The painter is known by one ...

. He took a study trip through Germany and Italy in 1852. Two years later, he was appointed to a position as a painting instructor at the

Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp ( nl, Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Antwerpen) is an art academy located in Antwerp, Belgium. It is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe. It was founded in 1663 by David Teniers the Younger, ...

. His notable students included Lawrence Alma-Tadema,

Aloïs Boudry Aloïs Boudry (12 August 1851, Ypres – 27 November 1938, Antwerp) was a Belgian painter known for his portraits, still lifes and interiors. Life He studied at the art schools in Ypres and Roeselare and finished at the Royal Academy of Fine ...

, Gerard Portielje, Henri Van Dyck and Piet Verhaert. In 1861, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

and in 1869 became a Knight in the Order of St.Michael. In 1875, he was diagnosed with

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

. The following year, he died in Mechelen, where he had gone for treatment.

Work

Van Lerius painted mythological and biblical scenes as well as portraits and

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

pictures. Much of his work is didactic in nature. In 1852

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

bought his painting "Premier Né" (First Born), depicting a young couple with a baby. It is still on display at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. Perhaps his best-known work is "

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

", which was shown at the Antwerp Triennial Salon in 1870. It was purchased by London art dealer Henry Graves. Other paintings found their way to San Francisco and St.Petersburg. For many years, he had an agent in New York. Many of his works (especially "Lady Godiva" and "Cinderella") have been widely reproduced.

References

Sources

* '' Biographie Nationale de Belgique'', Vol.IX. * A. Brokken, I. Machielsen and B. Fornari, ''Femme fatale tussen liefde & dood'' (exhibition catalog), Sint-Niklaas, 1992.

External links

More works by Van Lerius
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Lerius, Jozef 1823 births 1876 deaths Belgian portrait painters 19th-century Belgian painters 19th-century Belgian male artists Artists from Antwerp People from Boom, Belgium

Life

Work

References

Sources

See also

External links