The Virgin with Angels (The Song of the Angels) - William-Adolphe Bouguereau (c. 1881)

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1) Stretched Mounted 3/4" Thick.
2) Arabesco Gold 1 15/16" Gold Leaf Gilded Wood Frame by Universal Arquati.

11" x 16" Artwork on Scratch-Resistant True-Matte Archival Canvas. Our true-matte canvas is a well-textured 19 mil bright white, consistent poly-cotton blend with a real matte look and feel. Utilizing newer giclée technology, this is one of the first scratch-resistant matte canvases available. With an eye-popping color gamut and dmax, coupled with critical archival certification and the ability to apply a laminate hassle-free, it sets a new standard of exceptionalism in fine art. Internally, we refer to this masterful blend of artistry and engineering as "the game changer" that will capture every nuance in your images.

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William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905) studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, as well as in Rome, and was considered a leading French academic painter in the nineteenth century. Legend has it that he searched for a model for the painting’s figures and found them in his first wife, Nelly Monochablon, who posed for the angels, one by one, and at last, with a child in her arms. The painting shows the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus Christ, who is calmly asleep in a pastoral setting, while a trio of angels hovers nearby. It highlights Bouguereau’s ability to render realistic flesh tones and subtle gradations of white.

The Virgin with Angels, also known as Song of the Angels, debuted at the Paris Salon in 1881. It was once a part of the Wanamaker Collection in Philadelphia. It was acquired by Forest Lawn Memorial Park in 1940 for a chapel in the Church of the Recessional. Originally, a stained-glass window was going to be the focal point of the chapel, but instead Forest Lawn decided to purchase the painting from Schnittjer’s gallery. A large gothic-style liturgical frame was built for the painting by Forest Lawn craftsmen, and it is still presented in this wooden frame at the Forest Lawn Museum.

In 2005, the painting traveled to the Getty Center in Los Angeles for a cleaning with funding from the Conservation Partnership Program. Chief Paintings Conservator, Mark Leonard, worked on the painting for months to remove the old varnish and restore its original colors. The painting was exhibited at the Getty Center, alongside a preparatory oil sketch and a later, half-size replica from Bouguereau’s own hand.