Henri Houben (Belgian, 1858 to 1931)
The academically trained Houben was from a prominent artistic family; his father was a violin master at the Antwerp School of Music. He studied at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, where he was later named a painting master at the relatively young age of 27. Houben specialized in landscape, historical, and genre scenes, all of which incorporate the cool palette and delicate brushwork for which he was known.
Reference: Flippo. Lexicon of the Belgian Romantic Painters. Int. Art Press. Antwerp, 1981.
Information courtesy of Neal Auction Company, February 2009.