(Caudebec-en-Caux 1801–1879 Paris)
A View into the Cathedral St. Paul, Antwerpen, signed, dated H. Sebron 1857, oil on canvas, 112 x 81 cm, framed

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus 1979, vol. II, 2, p. 719, no. 1f.

After studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, French painter and photographer Hippolyte Victor Sebron (1801-1879) worked as a decorative painter before becoming a student of Léon Cogniet. Inspired by his works in theater décor, Sebron staged many dioramas under the direction of Louis Daguerre. Despite later parting with Daguerre, dioramas have a profound influence on his later landscapes and photographs. His works did not follow the conventional nineteenth century emphasis on emotion, instead he focused on grand scope and intricate detail.
With a growing reputation, Sebron executed commissions for wealthy and important patrons such as the King Louis-Phillippe I of France, the King Leopold II of Belgium and the King Guillaume II of the Netherlands, and after exhibiting in Bruxelles in 1842, he received the Order of Leopold. As seen through his diverse landscapes, Sebron was an avid traveler, notably in Italy, England, Spain and North America. Sebron’s works were unique as they mixed a European academic style with foreign landscapes.
Dated 1857, this works depicts an interior view of the Saint Paul Church in Antwerp, recognizable through the baroque confessionals and the twisted marble columns. Sebron also included two small versions of the church’s paintings by Peter Paul Rubens: The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament and the Flagellation of Christ. He also painted Dominican nuns as the church was originally built by the Dominican Order.