Maurice DENIS (1870-1943) The Samaritan Woman, 1924 Oil on cardboard, signed and dated "24" lower right. 40,5 x 39,5 cm Provenance: - Given in 1924 by the artist to Xavier de Lacroix de Lavalette, cousin of Élisabeth Graterolle, Maurice Denis' second wife - Sale Drouot, 21 December 1987, n°75 of the catalog - Private collection This work appears in the archives of the catalog raisonné under n°924.0004. We would like to thank Claire Denis, the artist's granddaughter, who kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work and who tells us that: "Maurice Denis, suffering from stomach pains, went to Vichy for a cure from June 19 to July 9, 1924, where he was followed by Dr. Chaumat, husband of Jeanne Chaumat, a cousin of Lisbeth. This treatment where he had to "take the waters" evoked for him the Gospel story where Jesus asked a Samaritan woman to drink from Jacob's well (John, IV, 1-30). The painter probably set the scene in a garden of the Chaumat family, perhaps giving the woman the features of Jeanne. He made pastel portraits of the Chaumat family as a gift to them. A watercolor sketch of the well appears next to other sketches of Vichy in the notebook n°79.