The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 31, 2026

A vertically oriented drawing depicts seven figures with light skin tones in hooded robes. In the center, a figure stands holding a book. Light from a large, curtained window above bathes the figures in bright highlights, contrasted by deep shadows in muted gray and brown washes. At left, a figure sits in a tall chair while another leans behind him. At right, one figure sits with arms crossed while others stand nearby.

The Monks

c. 1802–30

François Marius Granet

(French, 1775–1849)
France, 18th-19th century
watercolor, pen and brown ink on laid paper
Sheet: 35 x 25.2 cm (13 3/4 x 9 15/16 in.); Primary mount: 37 x 27.4 cm (14 9/16 x 10 13/16 in.); Secondary mount: 43.4 x 37.1 cm (17 1/16 x 14 5/8 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.1059
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In addition to working as an artist, Granet served as curator of the Musée du Louvre beginning in 1824.

Description

The French artist François Granet traveled to Rome in 1802, where he became fascinated by the lives of monks and priests, and the cloistered interiors where they lived and worked. For most of his career, these figures and settings remained the primary subject of his work. This drawing shows one such group in the midst of private study and contemplation.
  • Georges Martin du Nord/Galerie B.G. Verte, Paris, France
    Mrs. Muriel Butkin [1915-2008]
    December 3, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=The Monks|url=false|author=François Marius Granet|year=c. 1802–30|access-date=31 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.1059