Adolphe Giraldon - Maris Stella - Watercolor

1895
Signed and dated at the bottom right « A / GIR. / 95 »
Signed by Jose-Maria de Heredia under his verses
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This watercolor was created in 1895 by the designer and illustrator Adolphe Giraldon (1855-1933) to frame the sonnet "Maris Stella" by the poet Jose-Maria de Heredia, who signed below the text.
In keeping with the verses it illustrates, the composition depicts a Breton woman with her hands clasped around her rosary, praying for the return of the fishermen whose sailboats can be seen in the background.
With its plant ornaments, stylization, and calligraphy, it is fully in keeping with the Art Nouveau style of the end of the century. Reproduced in the Revue Illustrée in June 1895, it accompanied an article by Paul Verlaine on the Parnassian poet and was part of a series of four sonnets from the Trophées illustrated with color compositions engraved after Giraldon.