Egide Linnig

The Belgian painter Égide Linnig, born in Antwerp in 1821, combined an oeuvre dominated by seascapes and coastal landscapes with an independent printmaking practice. His etchings, described as technically accomplished while retaining a free and rapid execution, attest to the importance of printmaking in his career. He began his studies at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts in 1834. After the death of Mathieu-Ignace Van Brée in 1839, he left the day classes and continued his training in the evenings, notably with Jacques Van Gingelen and Jan Michiel Ruyten. During these years of study, he produced numerous works from nature, particularly on the Scheldt.

While still a student, he exhibited A View Taken from Antwerp at the 1839 Triennial Salon in Brussels. The following year, at the Antwerp Salon, he presented two seascapes, Herring Fishing on Dogger Bank and Coast near Zierikzee. In 1842, he showed in Brussels The Brig “Timor” Wrecked off the English Coast, a work inspired by one of his voyages. Linnig set sail for Norway in 1847. In 1848 or shortly before, he left Antwerp to settle in Sint Willebrord, in North Brabant. From 1849 onwards, he exhibited regularly in Germany, notably in Leipzig, while presenting four works at the Antwerp Salon that same year.

Seascapes, ship portraits and coastal landscapes make up most of his painted work, complemented by a few genre scenes. Some compositions devoted to a named ship combine a ship portrait with a seascape; they were generally made on commission from shipping companies or captains. The three-masted ship Constant off New Guinea is one example: the ship is depicted after running aground on a coral reef on 15 June 1858. In his prints, his subject matter ranges from seascapes and ships to coastal landscapes, views of ports and cities, and genre scenes. Prints devoted to the shores of Nieuport and Wenduine attest to his interest in Flemish coastal towns. His drawings also serve other printmakers as designs for engravings and lithographs. Among his pupils was Florent Crabeels.

Works recorded at auction

Dobiaschofsky

Nachtelijke terugkeer in het visschersplaatsje (Night-time return to the fishing village)

Oil on canvas

Original catalogue wording

"Nachtelijke terugkeer in het visschersplaatsje". (Nächtliche Rückkehr in das Fischerdorf).
Öl auf Leinwand

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

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