Léon Herbo - The Vestal Virgin Of The Arts

Léon HERBO Templeuve (Belgium), 1850 – Ixelles, 1907 Oil on panel 46 x 35.5 cm (63 x 45 cm with the frame) Signed at the top right “Léon Herbo” Inscription “A miss Mengal / La vestale des arts” Beautiful painted wooden frame Many Belgian painters of the 19th century represented the oriental woman rather dressed with oriental costumes and in their studio. Leon Herbo is no exception. A great portraitist, he painted models dressed in oriental fashion, whether theater actors or other models. Miss Mengal was one of those role models. Even described as "vestal of the arts" by Herbo, she is recognizable. With her rounded head, her nicely drawn mouth, her eyes with a deep gaze and her large eyebrows which give her a slightly wild look, she finds herself in several paintings by Herbo, for example in “The Opium Pipe” and “The Charmer” (private collection). So we can assume that the title, "Souvenir d'Orient", is more indicative than realistic!