THÉOPHILE MARIE FRANÇOIS LYBAERT | SOUVENIRS D'AUTREFOIS

Private Collection, Belgium

Théophile Lybaert was described by his contemporaries as a "modern Memling" (The Strand Magazine, London, August 1906, vol. XXXII, p. 143). At the time of Lybaert’s artistic development, Belgian historical-realist painters found inspiration in the Pre-Raphaelites, and, like their English counterparts, used realism to faithfully recreate their Medieval subjects in narrative compositions of a moralizing nature. The son of a heraldic painter, which likely inspired the coat of arms depicted so meticulously in the present work, Lybaert experienced success during his lifetime with exhibitions in his native country as well as at the Royal Academy in London.