The Deposition Of Christ By Maurice Barraud

The body of the dead Christ, carried by two people—with the Virgin Mary supporting his head and Mary Magdalene weeping on the left—forms a frieze-like composition featuring four standing figures and one horizontal figure, inspired by Greco-Roman art. The painting is signed in the lower right corner and bears the studio stamp on the back, with inventory number 205 in the center, written in red chalk. A label affixed to the stretcher indicates that it was once part of Professor A. J. Held’s collection. The painting is set in a molded and painted wooden frame from the mid-20th century, manufactured by Artisana in Geneva. Without the frame, the painting measures 42.5 x 62 cm.
Maurice Barraud was born in Geneva on February 20, 1889. After studying at the Geneva School of Fine Arts, he decided to devote himself to painting and exhibited for the first time at the Moos Gallery in 1914. In the early 1920s, he lived in Paris, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne in 1923 and 1924, discovering the paintings of Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse, and taking the opportunity to visit Spain, Algeria, and Italy. Upon his return to Switzerland, he received numerous commissions for murals, notably for the Palais des Nations in Geneva and the University of Fribourg. He died in Geneva on November 11, 1954.
Many museums in Switzerland hold works by this artist.