France, 19th century / 1894
Drying the Linen, or Moonrise at the Priory
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Drying the Linen, or Moonrise at the Priory as painting (France, 19th century · 1894).
Denis began creating religious art in 1894, the year this painting was completed. A priory, as described in the title, is a religious building where monks and nuns live under the leadership of a prior.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas glued to cardboard and credits Maurice Denis (French, 1870–1943).
The museum's collection notes: This painting depicts the enclosed backyard garden of a former priory—a religious building where monks and nuns live under the leadership of a prior—that Maurice Denis purchased in 1914. He transformed the building into a home for his large family and lived there for the last 30 years of his life. A woman dressed in black hangs linens to dry, so that—according to custom—they will be bleached by moonlight. The full moon casts a golden glow over the entire nighttime scene.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtDrying the Linen, or Moonrise at the PrioryOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.