Portrait Of Jules Frison, A Student At The Imperial High School In Brussels — 1808

First Empire period

Oil on wood panel

Original carved and gilded wooden frame

Dimensions:

35 × 27 cm unframed

52 × 44 cm framed

Rare portrait of a student at the Imperial High School of Brussels, Jules Frison (1796–1864).

The young boy is depicted in a bust portrait against a solid brown background, wearing the regulation uniform introduced in 1808 for students at the Imperial Lyceums. The uniform consists of an iron-gray cloth coat with a stand-up collar, lapels, and facings in ponceau red, adorned with gilded buttons.

The face, rendered with finesse, is distinguished by its direct and particularly expressive gaze. The simplicity of the composition and the precision with which the uniform is rendered link this work to the tradition of neoclassical portraiture during the First Empire.

An old handwritten label preserved on the back of the panel bears the inscription:

“Jules Frison

student at the Imperial Lyceum

in Brussels

1806–1808”

Jules Frison, born in Antwerp in 1796 and died in 1864, became a glass manufacturer and played a role in the birth of Belgium. He participated in the Revolution of 1830, served as a member of the National Congress, and was awarded the Iron Cross and the Order of Leopold. He served as mayor of Lodelinsart for thirty years, from 1830 to 1860.

The painting is preserved in its original carved and gilded wooden frame. The preservation of this complete ensemble provides a particularly interesting insight into imperial education in the former Belgian departments.

Work reproduced in:

Michel Vanwelkenhuyzen, “Quelques moments dans la vie de l’école,” Studia Bruxellae, 2023/1, no. 13, Museums and Archives of the City of Brussels, p. 91, illustration 27.

In very good original condition.

Painting shows no visible retouching.

Original gilding on the frame preserved.