Ce fut un religieux mystère

1892/1899

Maurice Denis, Ambroise Vollard (publisher), Auguste Clot (technician)

Associated Names
Maurice Denis

Artist, French, 1870 - 1943

Ambroise Vollard

Publisher, French, 1866 - 1939

Maurice Denis

Printer, French, 1870 - 1943

Auguste Clot

Printer, French, 1858 - 1936

The image shows the upper bodies and profiles of two individuals facing each other. The left person's head is fully visible, with long hair flowing down their back. Their facial features are softly rendered, with delicate lines suggesting a serene profile. They are wearing a garment draped around the shoulders. The right person's face is partially visible, their head tilted downward. The artwork uses soft pastel colors, giving it a dreamlike quality. There is no distinct background, only soft streaks of muted color.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color lithograph on thin yellowish/cream wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 41.5 × 29.2 cm (16 5/16 × 11 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 52.8 × 39.8 cm (20 13/16 × 15 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3421

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Cailler 1968, no. 111

  • Series Title

    Amour: no.4 [Cailler 107-119; 1943.3.3409-3421]

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1932d and R in semicircle [not in Lugt]); gift to National Gallery of Art, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1945

  • Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1945.

1948

  • Paris, The Favorable Climate, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 - 1949.

1950

  • Vollard, Connoisseur, National Gallery of Art, 1950 – 1951.

1954

  • Lithographs by Bonnard, Vuillard, and Maurice Denis, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1954.

1960

  • Artist-Writers: Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1960.

1963

  • American Federation of Arts, 1963.

1972

  • Lithography in the 19th Century: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Collection, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, 1972-1973, no. 12.

Bibliography

1968

  • Cailler, Pierre. Catalogue raisonne de l'oeuvre grave et lithographie de Maurice Denis. Geneva: Editions Pierre Cailler, 1968.

Inscriptions

lower right, below image, in stone: Ce fut un religieux mystère

Markings

verso, stamped in black ink: National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Collection (Lugt 1932d); stamped in black ink: Rosenwald stamp, R in semicircle (not in Lugt)

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64960511

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