“Quick” A portrait of a Brussels Griffon
Charles Boland de Spa (Belgium, 1850-?)
Oil on panel
16 x 12 (24 ½ x 20 ½ frame)
Signed recto “Ch Boland 1888” and verso
 
Charles Boland specialized in painting animals, landscapes, genre scenes and portraits.

He was trained at the Academy of Antwerp. In 1878 he won the ‘Prix de Rome’.
In 1883 he was one of the co-founders of the Antwerp Association of Visual Artists. He exhibited at the triennial Exhibitions in Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels.
 
There are 3 variations of the Brussels Griffon (Griffon Bruxellois) named after their city of origin. All three varieties descend from a small, terrier-like dog which was kept in the stables to eliminate rodents. Coachmen were fond of their alert, little stable dogs and in the 19th century, they bred their Griffons with imported toy dogs. Breeding with the Pug and King Charles Spaniel brought about the current breed type. 
 
The Griffon Bruxellois grew in popularity in the late 19th century with both workers and noblemen in Belgium. The first Griffin was registered in 1883.