Sainte Agnès

Art Historical Context

Jean Danguy’s “Sainte Agnès,” created in 1895, offers a quiet yet evocative tribute to the early Christian martyr through the refined medium of lithography. Printed in a single green ink on smooth calendared wove paper, the work demonstrates the artist’s command of this reproductive technique, which allowed subtle tonal gradations and crisp detail to be achieved on a surface ideal for fine printmaking. The monochromatic green palette lends the composition an ethereal, almost otherworldly atmosphere that suits the saint’s traditional attributes of purity and steadfast faith. As a lithograph from the closing years of the nineteenth century, the print reflects the period’s growing interest in making art more widely accessible beyond the confines of painting and sculpture. Its presence in the National Gallery of Art, gifted by the Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection in memory of Virginia H. Jackson, underscores the enduring appeal of such works within major public collections. Visitors can appreciate how Danguy’s choice of medium and restrained color transform a familiar religious subject into an intimate, contemplative image.

About the Artist

Jean Danguy · 1863–1926

**Jean Célestin Danguy: Symbolist Painter and Printmaker** Born on November 23, 1863, in Gagny, France, at his maternal grandmother Rose Thorel's home—where she directed the local post office—Jean Célestin Danguy grew up in an artistic family. His father, Célestin Danguy, was a history painter renowned for reproducing Franz Xaver Winterhalter's portrait of Napoleon III for public buildings, inclu...