Rehearsal in the Sacristy Before Mass
Paul-Constant Soyer

We like the warmth and masculinity of these men and boys as they prepare to worship the Lord. There is a camaraderie as they rehearse the singing of the Mass. We like it that the priest is seated, lower than the others. He is the central character, but he is not above us, or them. The sacristy itself looks like so many we've seen: plain and simple and practical, with a minimum of adornment. We don't think that's theological. The sacristy is more like a closet, and the priests are busy doing lots of other things than decorating. We're framing one of these prints for our own parish sacristy to add some warmth and beauty to the otherwise functional room.

This picture is a masculine companion to our Mary's Month picture, which is very feminine, featuring a mother and her four daughters doing a May crowning of Mary.

From the start of his art career, French artist Paul-Constant Soyer (1823-1903) did a lot of Catholic subjects. He was the son of a curator at the Louvre, and he started exhibiting art at the Paris Salons in his early 20s. He was a founder of the Écouen school. Mary Cassatt was one of his students. This was painted in 1864 and is housed at the Thomas-Henry Museum in France. Oil on canvas. (source: www.wikiwand.com/fr/)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look when framed without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.