Jean-Paul LaurensFrench, 1838–1921A Funeral
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “A Funeral ” now? Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
The macabre subject matter of A Funeral is typical of Jean-Paul Laurens, whose interest in depicting cadavers and coffins earned him the nickname "the painter of the dead." Laurens was also attracted to subjects from church history, and, here, the crosier leaning against the door behind the coffin indicates the deceased was a bishop. Highly finished drawings like this one are rare in Laurens's production. His technique of covering the surface with a variety of media and scratching away for highlights is quite similar to the one used by another artist in the exhibition-Alexandre Bida, in his Café at Constantinople [cat. no. 34]. Laurens utilized the technique effectively in this gloomy scene, where the glowing candle flame casts long shadows and feebly illuminates the columns receding into darkness on the left.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2008.368
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
In the life of Jean-Paul Laurens
The whole life18 January 1870
Son born: Paul Albert Laurens
18 March 1875
Son born: Jean-Pierre Laurens
1879
A medal for the liberation of prisoners
Laurens's The Liberation of the Prisoners of Carcassonne receives a medal of honor.
