“Belisarius”, P.J. Van der OUDERAA, 1904

Oil on canvas probably showing the general Belisarius, a great strategist, conqueror of the Sassanids and Vandals, and commander-in-chief of the Byzantine armies, dethroned and blinded by Justinian, according to legend, out of jealousy. He was reduced to begging in the street, helped by a young child, and died in great poverty in 565, suffering from the ingratitude of an emperor he served faithfully.
Signed lower left Van der OUDERAA, 1904.
Pierre Jean Van der OUDERAA( 1841-1915) , painter of religious subjects, genre scenes, portraits and orientalist subjects. He entered the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 15, and quickly became a pupil of Jacobs, Van Lerius and De Kayser. In 1861, he was awarded the Grand Prix d'Expression.
He traveled to the Orient, visiting Algiers, Tunis and Oran, but it was above all after a trip to Palestine in 1893 that his artistic style evolved towards Orientalism...
Salons in London, Bordeaux, Brussels, Lyon, etc. Numerous works in museums.
Usual restorations, some juices having been passed through the network of cracks, perfectly executed. Original canvas and stretcher. Beautiful frame 103x83