In a letter Greuze himself revealed the subject of this painting: "it is a sequel to the various characters already treated by me. It depicts a priest who is going to help a widow and her children with his advice and give them lessons in virtue." A drawing by Greuze in the British Museum contains four figures - the cure, the widow's daughter, the widow herself and her small boy - and reveals Greuze's great powers of observation. Yet the subject is treated by the artist much like a work of literature, in which virtue is rewarded and vice punished.
Author:
Title:
Widow and Her Priest
Place:
Material:
Technique:
oil
Dimensions:
128x160,5 cm
Acquisition date:
Entered the Hermitage in 1934; handed over from the Pavlovsk Palace Museum
Inventory Number:
ГЭ-7521
Category:
Collection:
Subcollection:
