ticketsMember | Make a donation

Christian Inspiration

1883–86
Not on view
Combining watercolor and pastel, this work lays out the composition for one of three major murals Puvis designed for the staircase of the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Lyon. To treat the subject of Christianity as a source of inspiration for making art, Puvis shows a "Fra Angelico-type" working to complete a mural while younger artists look on. He dedicated the sheet to one of his own students, Paul Baudoüin, who became a leading practitioner of fresco in late nineteenth-century France.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Christian Inspiration
  • Artist: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (French, Lyons 1824–1898 Paris)
  • Date: 1883–86
  • Medium: Pastel over watercolor, gouache, on cream-colored paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 18 5/8 x 23 1/2 in. (47.3 x 59.7 cm); sheet: 19 5/8 x 24 3/16 in. (49.9 x 61.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.113
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
A Muse of Poetry, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Graphite and chalk on paper
A Muse of Poetry
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
19th century
Sleep: sketch for the painting, now in the museum at Lille, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Pen and brown ink on tracing paper
Sleep: sketch for the painting, now in the museum at Lille
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1840–98
Sketch for War, painting in the Museum of Picardy at Amiens, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Black chalk touched with white and red chalk
Sketch for War, painting in the Museum of Picardy at Amiens
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
ca. 1861
Study for Geometry in “The Sorbonne", Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Fabricated black crayon, squared with blue crayon
Study for Geometry in “The Sorbonne"
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1886–87
Seated Figure: Study for “A Vision of Antiquity”, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Fabricated black crayon, squared
Seated Figure: Study for “A Vision of Antiquity”
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1883–85

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.