1359 - Frank Albert Philips (1830 Ekeren, Antwerp – 1905 Leeds)

Frank Albert Philips (1830 Ekeren, Antwerp – 1905 Leeds) The Shared Meal In a middle-class interior, a young girl with blonde curls and a full-skirted white dress adorned with blue bows sits at the set dining table, her spoon raised, gazing intently at a small white cat that has made itself comfortable on the white tablecloth right next to her plate. In the foreground, a long-haired brown dog eagerly pushes its front paws up against the table, hoping to snag a bite of the meal as well. At the child’s feet, a forgotten toy doll lies on the floor. With outstanding, high-contrast lighting and an extremely subtle rendering of texture, Philips captures this intimate everyday scene with compelling psychological insight. A characteristic work of Victorian genre painting from the late creative period of the Belgian painter, who settled in England in 1869 and regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Oil on canvas; signed and dated 1882. 27.5 cm x 22.2 cm. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1882.