Charles Hermans

Hermans was a student of François Navez and Louis Gallait at the École des Beaux Arts in Brussels.  Living in Rome from 1862 to 1867, Hermans exhibited his work in Brussels and then in several Salons. Specializing in genre scenes from the lives of the Roman clergy, he later turned to the depiction of elegant people at leisure.

In the present work Hermans offers a charming vignette: a lovely woman, beautifully dressed, waters flowers on her balcony under the watchful eye of a smitten neighbor.  With his attention to costume's detail, and the fine quality of the materials represented, Hermans' work is stylistically reminiscent of Tissot.