Eugene Verboeckhoven was born in Warneton near Ypres on June 18, 1798.  He died in Brussels on January 19, 1881. He was born into a family of artists: his father, Barthélemy, was a sculptor, and his brother, Louis-Charles, was a painter.

In 1816, his family moved to Ghent, where he attended the Academie from 1816 to 1818.  He was supported by the sculptor, Albert Voituron, and later by a Ghent patron, Ferdinand van der Haegen.  As from 1818, he was a pupil of Balthasar-Paul Ommegack, from whom he inherited the classical landscape tradition that led to his best work.

Influenced by the work of Potter and Cuyp, he became an animalier in the 17th-century tradition.  He first exhibited at Ghent in 1820. He travelled in France (1824 and 1841), Germany (1828) and Italy (1841) and visited London in 1824 and 1826. In 1827 he settled in Brussels, where he fought in the War of Independence in 1830. He established a studio there, where he taught numerous artists and collaborated with many of the more important painters of his day; including De Jonghe, De Noter, Verwee, and Koekkoek. Among the many honors he received were the Legion of Honour, Order of Leopold, Order of the Christ of Portugal, and the Iron Cross. His success was enormous during his own lifetime.

The location for our sketch is Marche-en-Famenne.  La Famenne is a small region of Belgium between l'Ardenne and le Condroz.  Marche-en-Famenne is a town of 15,000, located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg.