After Pierre Lemerre (1868–1945)​ - Virgen

Pierre Lemerre (1868–1945)​ was born into a family of artists in Normandy, France, and received classical training from an early age. At 18, he entered the École des Beaux‑Arts in Paris, where he studied under a disciple of the Academic master Jean‑Léon Gérôme, and was deeply influenced by the Madonna tradition of Renaissance masters such as Raphael and Botticelli. Active primarily between 1890 and 1920, he gained renown for his delicately realistic religious subjects and classical portraiture. His works were regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon and collected by French aristocracy and the Church of his time, remaining rare on the market.