Lot 23260: HENRY DE NOBELE (Belgian Circa 1820-1870s)

HENRY DE NOBELE (Belgian Circa 1820-1870s) Portrait of a Young Aristocrat , 1851 Oil on canvas 36-1/2 x 29-1/2 inches (92.7 x 74.9 cm) Signed and dated lower right : H. De Nobele / 1851 The gold stick pin, watch chain, and fob worn by a gentleman in a dark suit would suggest an aristocratic lineage. Henry de Nobele was born in Ghent and died in Brussels. A pupil of Jozef Geirnaert and Leon Cogniet, he painted both portraits and genre scenes in a meticulous manner characteristic of Belgian art of the period. The museum at Pontoise possesses five small gouaches depicting the banks of the Lys, dated 1878 and signed "Nobelo" which may be attributable to the artist. A genre scene by de Nobele entitled Surprising Declaration is in the museum collection at Courtrai.