Xavier Mellery

A painter, draughtsman and illustrator of decorative compositions, portraits and interiors, Xavier Mellery (1845–1921) began his training at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels during the 1860s. He continued his studies in Rome, where he extended his knowledge of the Italian Renaissance, especially religious works. A prominent figure in Belgian Symbolism, he was one of the founders of the Les XX group, developing a reputation for his intimate allegorical and meditative works, which immerse the viewer in a silent internal universe.

He is notable for his compositions in charcoal or black chalk on paper, depicting private interior spaces, especially women absorbed in their tasks, such as Beguine Reading in Lamplight (Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, inv. 4457) and our Woman Sewing. Using a simple approach, the artist’s drawings enable him to capture his model while engaged in her work, in a moment of solitude and quiet meditation.