Interior with Armed Men and a Family Group

Belgian Romantic painter Eugène Delfosse was best known for his history and genre paintings. The nationalistic subject of 'Interior with Armed Men and a Family Group' draws on the motifs of 16th and 17th century Flemish genre paintings and is typical of Delfosse’s early works. The theme of national identity was important to the Romantic Movement and was particularly relevant in the newly independent Belgium. Although the painting does not depict any identifiable historic event, the inclusion of the soldiers may suggest that the scene is set during a period of conflict, such as the Thirty Years War (1568-1648). The emotionalism of the painting is characteristic of mid-nineteenth century Romanticism.