Xavier Mellery

A member of the Les XX group, Xavier Mellery (1845–1921) became one of the leading figures of Belgian Symbolism. Trained at the Académie des Beaux-arts in Brussels, under Jean-François Portaels, he won the Belgian Prix de Rome in 1870, which enabled him to spend time there and expand his knowledge of the Renaissance masters, drawing from them a new rigour in his search for the ‘ideal’ in art.

His works are steeped in an intimate symbolism, evoking ordinary life and spirituality, in a meditative and silent atmosphere. With a restricted palette, dominated by dark tones, he plays on chiaroscuro effects to bring his subjects into relief. His charcoal drawings on paper are good examples of his work, for instance Antechamber with a Mask (Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, inv. 4445) and the present Garden Table. Against a loosely sketched background, whose lines suggest vegetation, a tray, some cups and a jug rest on a pedestal table. The absence of figures and the single empty chair behind the table allow the viewer to feel the weight of solitude and silence. However, this atmosphere is counterbalanced by the number of cups on the table, suggesting that there are several figures just out of sight.