The Knight's Funeral
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Knight's Funeral” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Baron Hendrik Leys (1815-1869) was a Belgian painter who trained with Mathieu Ignace Van Brée in Antwerp and drew on the Romantic works of Gustaf Wappers. He painted typically Romantic subjects, ranging from heroic scenes of war and brigandage to scenes of daily life such as weddings and country festivals. From 1839 he distanced himself from the Romantic school and moved towards a more sober style. His desire for historical and psychological truthfulness soon replaced the pathos and sentimentality of his earlier works. Seeking to 'resurrect' the spirit and atmosphere of 16th-century Antwerp, Leys painted historical events or scenes of everyday life, all of which demonstrate a scrupulous observation of contemporary life. Moving away from Romanticism Leys was likely influenced by the French Realists Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet.
Read on
On the other hand, his study of 16th-century Flemish and German painters also contributed to the development of his personal style, which mingled archaistic rigidity with realistic observation. Though difficult to ascertain due to condition, the subject and mood of 1560-1869 appears to belong to Leys earlier Romantic phase of the 1830s.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1560-1869
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
