benoît rougelet · (1834–1894)
Heureux Âge!
TECHNIcal sheet
| ARTIST | Benoît Rougelet |
| DATE | 1881 |
| MATerial | White Carrara marble |
| DIMENSIONS | 58 x 52 x 34 cm |
| signature | Rougelet |
|
PROVENANCE |
Private collection, United State |
| CONSERVATION | Private collection, Belgium |
ABOUT THE WORK
The statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a serpent is carved from white Carrara marble, with an oak wood canopy and a rosewood base engraved with the Latin words “POSUERUNT ME CUSTODEM,” translated as “They have made me a keeper.” This biblical quotation, drawn from the Song of Songs, lends the work a profound spiritual dimension, underscoring the protective role of the Virgin.
Commissioned by Therina Devert, Marquise de Chièvre, on 13 January 1846, and given to Mother Marie-Sophie of the Couvent des Oiseaux in Paris, the sculpture was executed by Charles Henri Geerts at the height of his art. The quality of execution, particularly visible in the delicate treatment of the veil, the serpent, and the folds of the cloak, attests to an exceptional mastery of marble for an artist of 38.
After more than a century and a half in English religious institutions, the sculpture has now entered the permanent collection of the M Museum Leuven in Belgium, a symbolic return to the artist’s homeland. Its original carved oak canopy, which has accompanied the work since its creation, is itself a remarkable piece of 19th-century religious furniture.
