The Madonna of the Roses (1903) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Public Domain Catholic Painting
The French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau concluded the artwork entitled The Madonna of the Roses in 1903, only two years before his death. The painter had gone through significant losses during his lifetime, as he saw four of his five children pass away – the last was Paul, who died after contracting tuberculosis at the age of thirty-two in 1900. In fact, it was the same disease that took the life of his first wife and his other children. Possibly because of the large number of children that the artist had to bare through loosing, that his artworks with infants were so captivating. Bouguereau’s moment of grief resulted in some of his masterpieces, like Pieta and The Virgin of Consolation – all with religious themes.