146 - In Memoriam Marcel Granger, Carton for an Unrealized Stained-Glass Window, 1919

In Memoriam Marcel Granger, Carton for an Unrealized Stained-Glass Window, 1919 Gouache on paper 132 x 59 cm Commissioned by the family of Marcel Granger, a student at the seminary in Rimont (Isère), who died in the war. Maurice Denis appears to have made considerable progress in the development of this stained-glass window, for which he created this full-scale sketch, as clearly shown in the Druet photograph. At the center of the composition, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart appear to Marcel Granger, depicted as a soldier, with an airplane in the background. Above, in front of a balustrade, the blessing Child Jesus is accompanied by the Virgin Mary, depicted in the likeness of Marthe. Near Mary and Jesus are Saint Joseph on the left and Saint John on the right. Surrounding them are other saints: Saint Marcel and Saint Thomas Aquinas on the left, and on the right: Joan of Arc (without a halo, since she had not yet been canonized), Saint Symphorian, and Saint Ludovico Gonzaga. Provenance: Maurice Denis Collection Various private collections through inheritance Exhibition: “Maurice Denis 100 Years Later in Alençon,” Museum of Fine Arts and Lace, July 6–September 29, 1985, Alençon, no. 27, “Blessing Virgin and Child,” cat. no. NB, p. 29