Henri Van Assche (30 August 1774, Brussels - 10 April 1841, Brussels) was a Belgian painter; primarily of landscapes. He was especially well-known for his depictions of waterfalls and water mills. Some of his scenes contain animals painted by Balthasar Paul Ommeganck.
Biography
Van Assche's father, Joseph François Van Assche, was a master brewer who served as Dean of the "Corporation of Brewers" in 1771 and 1794. When Van Assche began showing a talent for drawing, he was given lessons in design and perspective by his father, who was also an amateur artist, then received formal training from . After that, Van Assche made study trips through Switzerland and Italy, which developed his predilection for landscapes. Later, Van Assche became known as "The Painter of Waterfalls".
Van Assche held his first exhibits at the Ghent Salon, and was a member of the . His other memberships included the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), and the in Amsterdam. Many of his works may be seen in public and private collections in Brussels, Ghent, Lille, and Haarlem.
Van Assche died in Brussels and was buried in Neder-Over-Heembeek.
Two of his nieces and a nephew were also painters: Amélie van Assche, a portrait miniaturist who became a court painter to Queen Louise of Orléans, and her sister Isabelle Catherine van Assche, who was one of his students, and , the son of Pierre-Joseph De Marneffe, his brother-in-law, who was an art dealer.
References
Further reading
Hippolyte Kluyskens, Des hommes célèbres dans les sciences et les arts et des médailles qui consacrent leur mémoire, L. Hebbelynck (1859) Vol.II "Henry Van Assche", by Lucien Solvay, In: Biographie Nationale de Belgique, Royal Academy of Belgium (1866 et seq.) Vol.XXVI