Sabine Desvallières (22 February 1891– 16 February 1935), also known as Sœur Marie de la Grâce, was a French

embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

artist and

Catholic nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

Biography

Born into a family of artists in Paris on 22 February 1891, Sabine Desvallières was the daughter of the celebrated painter

George Desvallières George Desvallières (; 1861–1950) was a French painter. A native of Paris, Desvallières was a great-grandson of academician Gabriel-Marie Legouvé, and received a religion, religious upbringing. He studied at the Académie Julian with Tony ...

and his wife Marguerite Lefebvre, a piano pupil of

César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

. During her childhood, she learned art from her family. She later completed her training with the embroidery artist Blanche Ory-Robin, who introduced her to needle painting. Desvallières began creating works of art when still young, regularly exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne, where she presented a fireplace screen in 1912 and velvet curtains in 1913. Like the other members of her family, she was devastated by the death of her brother Daniel in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(March 1915). This caused her to turn to religion and to join the association of Catholic painters known as l'Arche, founded by the painters Valentine Reyre and Maurice Storez. She then focused on embroidery, especially in connection with religious vestments and altar coverings, presenting her works at the "Art religieux" section of the

Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA; ; ) was the term under which two groups of French artists united, the first for some exhibitions in the early 1860s, the second since 1890 for annual exhibitions. 1862 Established in 1862 by the painter a ...

and, from 1922, at the Salon d'Automne. In 1926, she was commissioned to create works for the Poor Clares Convent at

Mazamet Mazamet (; Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Masamet'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in southern France. It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolit ...

. On 20 September, she entered the convent as a

postulant A postulant (from , "to ask") was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the period precedi ...

, taking the name of Sister Marie de la Grâce on 7 May 1927. She later founded a workshop for making

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

s at the

Ateliers d'Art Sacré The Ateliers d'Art Sacré (Studios of Sacred Art, 1919-1947) was a collective of artists based in Paris, France in the first half of the 20th century. It aimed to create religious art that was both modern and accessible to the general public. For ...

created by her father in 1919 gether with

Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, ...

, a French painter and decorative artist. On several occasions, she exhibited her religious embroidery works at the

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (, English: ''Museum of Decorative Arts'') is a museum in Paris, France, dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of the decorative arts. Located in the city’s 1st arrondissement, the museum occupies the P ...

, Salon d'Automne and Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Sabine Desvallières died at the Sainte-Claire Monastery in

on 16 February 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desvallieres, Sabine 1891 births 1935 deaths 20th-century French women artists French embroiderers Catholic painters Artists from Paris 20th-century women textile artists 20th-century French textile artists 20th-century French painters Catholic decorative artists