Gabriel Émile Édouard de Nicolet (1856-1921) was originally from Switzerland.
He studied at the Beaux-Arts in Liège, Düsseldorf, then Paris. His work includes genre scenes, portraits, interiors and landscapes in which he liked to represent the leisure activities of the bourgeoisie.
In 1887/88 he worked in Morocco as an illustrator and correspondent for the “Illustrated London News”.
While living in London he was a member of the Society of Portrait Painters. He participated in numerous exhibitions, including one in New York in 1916. He received several awards including the medal from the Belgian government in 1878 and a bronze medal in 1889 at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, followed by the medal of silver in 1900.
This painting Tea Time delicately shows us an elegant young woman, wearing a hat and preciously holding a cup of tea and its saucer.
She is seated at the edge of a ruffled table on which is placed the silver tea service and a bouquet of flowers.
His profile image is reflected in a mirror.
Here we find the theme of a bourgeois scene, with the influence of his stay in London.
Original canvas. Signed lower left.
On the back an old torn EMILIUS GROSS & CO label with the name of the painter and an address in London.
Gilded rear frame with some gaps. Gilding touch-ups Good condition.
Slight loss at the bottom right and slight horizontal marks in the middle.
Dimensions without frame: H: 73 - L: 60 cm / With frame H 92 - L 79 cm