Alfred Stevens (Belgian, 1823-1906)

Born in Brussels, Stevens was encouraged to paint from an early age by his father, an ex-officer in the service of William I who was passionately fond of art. Stevens studied under François Navez, the head of the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts. In 1844 the young artist moved to Paris where he studied together with Camille Roqueplan. His years in Paris were extremely fruitful, showing many works at the Salons of Europe.