Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 14 works by Jozef Van Lerius in our catalogue
In short
Self-portrait (1852) is the Jozef Van Lerius painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp. After it, the eye goes to Madame LeDelier (1854) and Young Girl from the Hotzenwald (1852). Among the 14 works of Jozef Van Lerius in our catalog, these 14 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
The oil painting titled Self-portrait is a direct gaze from the artist Jozef Van Lerius. Created in 1852, the work captures the man behind the brush during a period of significant transition in his life. He was born on 23 December 1823 in Boom, Antwerp, Belgium, and would eventually pass away on 29 February 1876 in Mechelen.
The 5 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Jozef Van Lerius | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp |
Antwerp | 8 | Self-portrait, Madame LeDelier, Madame Valentine De Give-LeDelier as a Child |
 Museum Mayer van den Bergh |
Antwerp | 3 | Henriëtte Mayer van den Bergh, Portrait of Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, Henriette Mayer van den Bergh |
 Augustiner Museum |
Freiburg | 1 | Young Girl from the Hotzenwald |
 Amsterdam Museum |
Amsterdam | 1 | Girl from Dalarne |
 Smithsonian American Art Museum |
Washington, D.C. | 1 | Brides of Venice |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The oil painting titled Self-portrait is a direct gaze from the artist Jozef Van Lerius. Created in 1852, the work captures the man behind the brush during a period of significant transition in his life. He was born on 23 December 1823 in Boom, Antwerp, Belgium, and would eventually pass away on 29 February 1876 in Mechelen.
Self-portrait (1852), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp. Madame LeDelier (1854) and Young Girl from the Hotzenwald (1852) come next.
29 years old: Self-portrait dates from 1852, and Jozef Van Lerius was born in 1823.
Self-portrait, Madame LeDelier, Young Girl from the Hotzenwald, Girl from Dalarne, Henriëtte Mayer van den Bergh, Portrait of Henriette Mayer van den Bergh, Madame Valentine De Give-LeDelier as a Child, Two Children Playing Around, Princess Herminie de Looz et Corswarem and Brides of Venice. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 14 works by Jozef Van Lerius, dated from 1852 to 1871.
Mostly in Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Antwerp), Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp) and Augustiner Museum (Freiburg). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1850s: 8 of the 14 works on this page were made then, Self-portrait among them.
On this page, the earliest is Self-portrait (1852) and the latest Brides of Venice (1871).
Self-portrait, Madame LeDelier and Madame Valentine De Give-LeDelier as a Child: the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp holds 8 of the works on this page.
Jozef Van Lerius was born on 23 December 1823 in Boom, Antwerp, Belgium. His technical foundation was established early through rigorous institutional training. By 1838, he was already working as an apprentice draftsman at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. This early exposure to formal drafting provided the structural discipline that would define his later output.
The trajectory of his development shifted toward Antwerp, where he studied under Gustave Wappers. From 1839 to 1844, Van Lerius remained a student of Wappers, absorbing the specific methodologies of the Antwerp school. This period of instruction was not merely about technique; it was a direct immersion into the academic traditions of the time. His time in Wappers' circle provided the necessary technical grounding for a career that would eventually move into both instruction and high-level portraiture.
Van Lerius operated at the intersection of Romantic-Historical precision and the emerging clarity of Realism. His technical foundation relied on a dual mastery of draftsmanship and color. He was a thorough draughtsman, capable of rendering figures with a classical accuracy that defined his approach to both mythological and biblical scenes. This structural rigor allowed him to navigate complex compositions without losing the physical presence of his subjects. He was also a highly qualified colorist, using pigment to define form and mood rather than merely decorative surface detail.
His subject matter was broad, ranging from high-stakes historical and religious narratives to intimate genre pictures. He possessed a specific talent for depicting women and children, often imbuing these figures with a sense of psychological weight. Whether painting a glamorous lady of society or a domestic scene, his work maintained a consistent focus on the interplay between light and texture. This ability to balance the dramatic tendencies of Romanticism with a realistic attention to detail made his output highly versatile. His skill in handling color was particularly evident in his ability to render the shimmer of fabric or the subtle tones of human skin.
Van Lerius secured international recognition through high-profile acquisitions and exhibitions that placed his work in significant collections. In 1852, Queen Victoria purchased his painting Premier Né (First Born), a work depicting a young couple with a baby. This acquisition established his presence within royal circles. His reputation grew further through the exhibition of Virtue Triumphant, which was shown in Paris and Amsterdam in 1865. This specific piece earned him a gold medal and an election as an honorary member of the Academy.
His most recognized subject remains Lady Godiva, a work presented at the Antwerp Triennial Salon in 1870. The painting was acquired by the London art dealer Henry Graves, moving it into the sphere of major commercial art trade. His reach extended beyond Europe, with works finding their way to collections in San Francisco and St. Petersburg. Even in the United States, his influence persisted through public gifts; in 1909, the oil painting Cinderella and Her Sisters was donated to the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library in Ohio, where it remains on display in the reference room today.
