Drying the Linen, or Moonrise at the Priory
Medium
oil on canvas glued to cardboard
Dimensions
{"unframed":{"height":0.349,"width":0.314,"depth":0.006},"framed":{"height":0.484,"width":0.448,"depth":0.041}}
Classification
Painting
Department
Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
Accession Number
2020.109
Tags
About this artwork
This painting depicts the enclosed backyard garden of a former priory—a religious building where monks and nuns live under the leadership of a prior—that Maurice Denis purchased in 1914. He transformed the building into a home for his large family and lived there for the last 30 years of his life. A woman dressed in black hangs linens to dry, so that—according to custom—they will be bleached by moonlight. The full moon casts a golden glow over the entire nighttime scene. [SF1]Thanks for includin...