édouard Rosset-granger (1853-1934) - At The Foot Of The Altar - Oil On Canvas

Presented to the public under the title Au pied de l'autel at the Cercle de l'Union artistique in March 1907, then at the Salon a month later, this painting represents a young bride in church. All attention is focused on the young woman, whose face, placed in the center of an X-shaped composition, is haloed by a wreath of orange blossoms holding back the white veil on which the rays of light falling through the stained glass windows fall. from the church. If the crowd of guests is evoked in the background, the tight framing evacuates the fiancé, so that the spectator can wonder if the union represented is real or mystical. Édouard Rosset-Granger took his companion as a model, whom he did not marry until ten years later. This portrait allows him to celebrate her beauty while demonstrating his skill in rendering the fabrics, from the transparent tulle of the veil to the shimmering silk of the dress through the velvet of the cushion. The fact that he exhibited it twice suggests that he considered it a successful example of his work as a portrait painter, one that would bring him success at the Salon as well as further lucrative portrait commissions.