Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven, Belgian 1798-1881- Sheep by a gate; oil on panel, signed and dated 'Eugène Verboeckhoven / 1860' (lower left), 14 x 20 cm. Note: Verboeckhoven studied under his father, the sculptor Barthelemy Verboeckhoven. The artist was particularly celebrated for his landscapes and animal paintings, and the present work exhibits many of the key tendencies of his working method, such as, for example, his placement of the sheep at centre-stage in an otherwise empty landscape, whilst also devoting considerable attention to the vast expanse of sky above. This approach lends the work a sense of quiet grandeur which contrasts with the apparent simplicity of its subject.Held in gildedposition frame with glazing. Some minor wear to the edges and corners of the frame. The mitres have opened slightly in the top left and bottom right corners. Minor areas of craquelure in some of the pigments, predominantly in a certain green pigment found in the grass. Some dust and dirt trapped under the glazing and a possible small area of blooming to the lower right hand corner. There is a scratch by the sheep’s stomach but this appears to be on the underside of the glazing and not on the paint itself. UV light inspection reveals areas of minor retouching to some of the clouds, the right edge, and small patches to the ground around the hen.