Watercolor

Realist watercolor painting of a confirmation scene in a gorgeous cathedral with intricate stained glass in the background by Louis Haghe in 1863. Framed in a gold gilt frame. Signed and dated in lower left corner.

Louis Haghe was born in 1806 in Tournai. Belgium. Training in his teens in watercolor painting, he found work in the relatively new art of lithography when the first press was set up in Tournai. He visited England to find work and settled there permanently in 1823. Together with William Day (1797–1845), around 1830 he formed the partnership Day & Haghe, which became the most famous early Victorian firm of lithographic printing in London. Day and Haghe created and printed lithographs dealing with a wide range of subjects, such as hunting scenes, architecture, topographical views and genre depictions. They pioneered the new techniques for chromolithography as well as hand-tinted lithographs. After William's death in 1845, the firm became known as 'Day & Son'. They were pioneers in developing the medium of the lithograph printed in color. In 1838, Day and Haghe were appointed 'Lithographers to the Queen'. From the mid-1850s Haghe concentrated more on his watercolors and gained a reputation for his architectural scenes of northern Europe. Haghe's artistic works were achieved in spite of a deformity in his right hand since birth. He died at Stockwell Road on 9 March 1885.

H 42 in. x W 35 in. x D 2.5 in.

H 37 in. x W 30 in. x D .25 in.