359 - Gustave BRION (Rothau, 1824–Paris, 1877)

Gustave BRION (Rothau, 1824–Paris, 1877) The Ladies of Providence Visit Monsignor de Mazenod. Oil on canvas, signed lower right “G. Brion.” Restored and re-stretched. In a modern gilded wooden frame decorated with a frieze of palmettes. H. 54 x W. 65 cm. Frame: H. 73 x W. 82 cm. History The Order of the Ladies of Providence, founded in 1822, was reorganized in 1835 in Marseille by Bishop Charles-Eugène de Mazenod (1782–1861), to assist young girls known as the “Orphans of Cholera,” whose parents had died during the cholera epidemic that struck Provence that same year. Women from Marseille’s high society and bourgeoisie were tasked with raising funds, while Father Charles-Marie Fissiaux was put in charge of running the orphanage. A decree dated May 13, 1872, recognized the association as a public-benefit organization.