Corpus Christi Procession at Nantes (Procession de la Fete Dieu a Nantes)
1901
Medium
woodcut
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5600
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Belle Époque France, Auguste Lepère's *Corpus Christi Procession at NantesProcession de la F-Dieu à Nantes)* (1901) captures a vibrant religious parade during the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi. This woodcut depicts the solemn yet festive procession through the streets of Nantes, a historic port city in western France, where clergy, worshippers, and ornate banners weave through cobblestone avenues under a canopy of flags. Lepère, a master of French printmaking, drew from his keen eye for everyday life, transforming a momentary public ritual into an enduring snapshot of faith ...
About the Artist
Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918
Auguste-Louis Lepère (1849–1918), son of the sculptor François Lepère, was born in Paris on November 30, 1849, into an artistic family that shaped his early path. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the Paris studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn Smeeton, honing his skills in wood engraving until 1867. He furthered his training with drawing classes under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the...