Olive tree on the door, 100 cm x 79 cm
Herkomst: Antwerp Zoo
While Eugène Verboeckhoven is best known for his sheep and cows, he was also passionate about felines. As early as 1824, he traveled to London to draw the lions in the royal menagerie. The following year, he published an album of lithographs of the animals of the lion tamer Martin of Ghent.
The painter is even said to have returned to draw in the felines’ cage at the tamer’s invitation. With Belgian independence, the lion became a national symbol. Verboeckhoven then drew The Belgian Lion Breaking His Chains (MRBAB). He also painted several times in the 1850s lions attacking horses or other felines in Orientalist scenes.
This imposing portrait of a lion, with its quiet strength and careful rendering, is typical of Verboeckhoven’s animal portraits, and its attribution to the artist is beyond doubt despite the absence of a signature. It is also included without reservation in the IRPA photo library (M106074), in the artist’s monograph (Berko, p. 26), and in the catalogue From Rooster to Donkey: Animal Painting in Belgium in the 19th Century (p. 35). Furthermore, it comes under the same name from the art collections of Antwerp Zoo.