Multiple Portraits In Oval, Oil On Canvas Attributed To Eugénie Van Ham, Around 1875

Oil on canvas in oval representing six characters (two men and four women) painted in close-up, with great realism. Probably a group of friends, siblings (although they seem to be close in age), or perhaps a group portrait of artists as we can see many examples in the 19th century. The photographic moment is perfectly rendered; perfect light circulation. The women are styled as the female painters or sculptors of the last quarter of the 19th century could have been. To corroborate this, the work was painted on both sides and a precise restoration separated the two pictorial layers. On the back was the profile of a young girl (last two photos), signed lower right Eugénie van HAM, 1875. She was one of the 18 founding members of the Circle of Women Painters of Brussels, active between 1888 and 1893.