An early 20th-century oil on canvas depicting a rosary maker working on a street in Loudres, France. It’s been painted quickly with broad brushstrokes and feels impressionistic in its style. Perhaps the artist sat with this gentleman for a while as he painted the scene.

Loudres is an area steeped in religious significance and rosary makers are a common sight throughout this winding ancient town. Every year thousands of pilgrims travel here to visit the Grotto of Massabielle where, in 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl.

It’s said that Our Lady Of Loudres informed the girl that a healing spring would soon appear to absolve travellers and heal the sick. To this day, numerous visitors bathe at the Grotto and often return home with vials of holy water.

The painting is signed/dated in the lower right and inscribed in the lower left.