Élie NONCLERCQ (Valenciennes, 1847 - Maillebois, 1913). Woman picking a hollyhock flower, 1876. Oil on canvas, signed lower right and dated (18)76. Dimensions: 66 x 40 cm. (Visible wear and missing parts). The work was formerly covered with a painted canvas depicting flowers, still partially attached to one edge - probably intended to conceal the nudity of the figure. Traces of an underlying pictorial layer can be seen in places where there are gaps. Élie Nonclercq began his artistic training at the Académie de Valenciennes, before continuing his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in Alexandre Cabanel's studio. Although few of his works are known today, his body of work is eclectic: landscapes, still lifes, portraits, genre scenes and history paintings. He exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1875.