Procession of Saint John in Brittany
Artist:
Frédéric Louis Leve
(French, 1877 - 1968)
Culture: French
Date: 1908
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
60 x 94 in. (152.4 x 238.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Katalin and Andrew J. Novak
Object number: 2005.15
Provenance: Katalin Novak (1937-2007) and Andrew J. Novak, San Antonio, by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2005
Label Text
Leve was both a painter and engraver. He studied under Gerôme and became a member of the French "Salon de Artistes" in 1905. This work was probably one that he presented to the "Exposition of French Artists" in 1908 and for which he gained an honorable mention.
The event depicted is a religious ceremony celebrated every June 23 in Brittany on Saint John the Baptist's feast day. The scene takes place in a region of Brittany that is rich in monuments and megaliths of the prehistoric period and connected in the minds of the local population with the Druids. In Brittany, the "Saint John's Fire" is a traditional Christian religious ceremony, which has strong pagan connotations. It replaces the very old ceremonies of the summer solstice. The village church of Saint-Jean-du-Doigt (Saint John of the Finger) has had in its treasury, since the 15th century, a relic that, according to tradition, is said to be the saint's index finger.
The huge crowd appears to be processing from the distant bonfire into the village church for services. The women at the head of the procession wear the headdress of this region of Brittany, and white dresses worn only for marriages or important religious ceremonies. The silhouettes in the foreground are beggars, common personages at these festivals.
The event depicted is a religious ceremony celebrated every June 23 in Brittany on Saint John the Baptist's feast day. The scene takes place in a region of Brittany that is rich in monuments and megaliths of the prehistoric period and connected in the minds of the local population with the Druids. In Brittany, the "Saint John's Fire" is a traditional Christian religious ceremony, which has strong pagan connotations. It replaces the very old ceremonies of the summer solstice. The village church of Saint-Jean-du-Doigt (Saint John of the Finger) has had in its treasury, since the 15th century, a relic that, according to tradition, is said to be the saint's index finger.
The huge crowd appears to be processing from the distant bonfire into the village church for services. The women at the head of the procession wear the headdress of this region of Brittany, and white dresses worn only for marriages or important religious ceremonies. The silhouettes in the foreground are beggars, common personages at these festivals.
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
