72 - Portrait of Malon as a Child [on the sofa], c. 1911

Portrait of Malon as a Child [on the sofa], c. 1911 Oil on cardboard 54 x 38 cm Signed upper left and inscribed: To Mr. Albert Follain / As a token of friendly gratitude / Maurice Denis Bears the former label of the Réunion des Musées Nationaux on the back (Owner: Mr. Follain, 24 Place des Vosges, Paris IV) Bears a handwritten inscription on the back: Portrait of Madeleine, age 4 Madeleine is seated on the large sofa in the Silencio foyer, which was placed near the piano. She is holding a book of sheet music, which, in terms of format and cover color, resembles the *Mélodies populaires de Basse Bretagne* translated by François Coppée and harmonized by Bourgault-Ducoudray (Lemoine, 1885), a work Denis was very fond of. The painting was given to Jean Follain’s father, a lawyer and Madeleine’s father-in-law since 1922. It is not known what favor Albert Follain had done for the painter in 1937. In November of that same year, Madeleine held her first solo exhibition (under the name Madeleine Dinès) at the “La Fenêtre ouverte” gallery on Rue Lincoln in Paris. Provenance: Given by Maurice Denis to Mr. Albert Follain in 1937 Madeleine Follain Collection Private collection Exhibitions: Maurice Denis Exhibition, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, 1970; no. 207 (“Madeleine on the Couch, c. 1911”) “Enfances” Exhibition, Musée de Rodez, 2009, reproduced on page 30 A certificate confirming inclusion in the catalog raisonné of Maurice Denis’s works may be issued to the purchaser upon request to the Maurice Denis Committee.