Maurice CHABAS (Nantes, 1862 - Versailles, 1947) Virgins of the cliffs Oil on canvas (Original canvas) Signed and dated 'Maurice. A. CHABAS. 1895.' lower right Canvas by Blanchet No frame Virgins of the cliffs, oil on canvas, signed and dated, by M. Chabas 31.89 x 23.43 in. 81.0 x 59.5 cm Provenance: Gérard Lévy Collection ; Then by descent Exhibitions: IVème Salon de la Rose+Croix, Paris, 5 Rue de la Paix, 20 March - 20 April 1895, cat. no. 6: "Les Vierges des Falaises (esquisse)". L'Art et la Vie en France à la Belle Époque, île de Bendor, Fondation Paul Ricard, September - October 1971, cat. no. 191: "Les sirènes aux algues" [label on reverse]. Maurice Chabas, Peintre et messager spirituel (1862-1947), musée de Bourgoin-Jallieu, septembre 2009 ; Pont-Aven, musée des Beaux-arts, 30avril - 29 août 2010, cat. n° 1 : " Les Vierges des falaises ", reproduced p. 28 et p. 33 [label on reverse] Le Symbolisme & Rhône-Alpes, de Puvis de Chavannes à Fantin-Latour, 1880-1920, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Musée municipal Paul-Dini, 17 October 2010 - 13 February 2011, cat. no. 96 : "Les Vierges des Falaises", reproduced p. 112 The elder brother of the painter Paul Chabas, a pupil of Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury at the Académie Julian, Maurice Chabas made his debut at the Salon des Artistes français in 1885, where his discovery of the works of Puvis de Chavannes had a marked influence on his style and subjects. A sensitive and mystical artist, he adhered to the ideas developed by Joséphin Péladan and took part in all the Salons de la Rose+Croix from 1892 to 1897. Combining a certain taste for antique nudes with a more naturalistic perception of a Breton coastal landscape, our large canvas, exhibited at the Salon de la Rose+Croix in 1895, illustrates Chabas's eclectic character. In depicting these Virgins of the Cliffs, one of whom seems to have borrowed directly from the canon of the Venus de Milo, the artist is above all promoting an ideal and serene beauty, and seeking to convey the reminiscences of a golden age that had passed all too soon. Maurice CHABAS (Nantes, 1862 - Versailles, 1947) 81.0 x 59.5 cm The elder brother of the painter Paul Chabas, a pupil of Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury at the Julian Academy, Maurice Chabas made his debut at the Salon des Artistes français in 1885, where his discovery of the works of Puvis de Chavannes had a clear influence on his style and subjects. A sensitive and mystical artist, he adhered to the ideas developed by Joséphin Péladan and took part in all the Salons de la Rose+Croix from 1892 to 1897. Combining a certain taste for antique nudes with a more naturalistic perception of a Breton coastal landscape, our large canvas, exhibited at the Salon de la Rose+Croix in 1895, illustrates Chabas's eclectic character. In depicting these Virgins of the Cliffs, one of whom seems to have borrowed directly from the canon of the Venus de Milo, the artist is above all promoting an ideal and serene beauty, and seeking to convey the reminiscences of a golden age that had passed all too soon.