One of the things we lost when we got cars and other speedy modern traveling machines were the roadside shrines that had dotted the highways and byways for millennia. They were little points along the way where the wayfarer might pause from his walking, or give his horse a rest, and ponder a picture or statue of Jesus or Mary. He could get a reminder of God and recollect himself spiritually. The shrines were ways of helping people walk with God.

In this lovely picture by French painter, Simon Saintt-Jean, we have a wooden carving of the Madonna and Child embedded in a thicket of roses. Wouldn't be nice if we lived in a place that still had built-in shrines like this where we could pause for a moment and consider the ways of God and his presence in our lives? And even smell the roses.

Simon Saint-Jean (1808–1860) entered art school at age 14 and became a successful painter, winning many medals at Salons and garnering various appointments into elite artist guilds. Charles Baudelaire (Flowers of Evil) did not like Saint-Jean's painting, said he used 'too much yellow,' which we think is actually a reason to like Saint-Jean even more. He has another painting similar to this, called Offering to the Virgin, which we also like a lot and may include in our shop at some future date. 1850. 122x87 cm. Oil on canvas. At the Louvre.

Please note: The image is smaller than the paper There is a white border of about 1.3' for 8.5x11' pictures. 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, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.- Sue Kouma Johnson, text and image restoration.

• 8.5' x 11' Acid-free paper
• Archival pigments, rated to last for generations
• Made in the USA

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