gh she felt that "the needle and distaff were enemies to the
brush and pencil," her varied knowledge served her well in the
responsibilities she had assumed, and at the head of the institution she
had founded she became as well known for her executive ability as for her
piety.
Little as the works of Lanfranco appeal to us, he was a notable artist of
the Carracci school; Caterina did him honor as her master, and, in the
esteem of her admirers, excelled him as a painter.
GIRARDET, BERTHE. Gold medal at the Paris Exposition, 1900;
honorable mention, Salon des Artistes Francais, 1900; ten silver medals
from foreign exhibitions. Member of the Societe des Artistes Francais and
the Union des femmes peintres et sculpteurs. Born at Marseilles. Her
father was Swiss and her mother a Miss Rogers of Boston. She was a pupil
for three months of Antonin-Carles, Paris. With this exception, Mme.
Girardet writes: "I studied mostly alone, looking to nature as the best
teacher, and with energetic perseverance trying to give out in a concrete
form all that filled my heart."
[Illustration: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
BERTHE GIRARDET]
Among her works are: "L'Enfant Malade," bought by the city of Paris and
placed in the Petit Palais des Champs Elysees; a group called the
"Grandmother's Blessing," purchased by the Government and placed in a
public museum; the bust of an "Old Woman," acquired by the Swiss
Government and placed in the Museum of Neuchatel; a group, the "Madonna
and Child," for which the artist received the gold medal; and two groups
illustrating the prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." Also
portrait statues and busts belonging to private collections.
At the Salon des Artistes Francais, 1902, Mme. Girardet exhibited the
"Grandmother's Blessing" and "L'Enfant Malade." At the same Salon, 1903,
the two groups illustrating the Lord's Prayer.
A writer, G. M., in the _Studio_ of December, 1902, writes: "Prominent
among the women artists of the day whose talents are attracting attention
is Mme. Berthe Girardet. She has a very delicate and very tender vision
of things, which stamps her work with genuine originality. She does not
seek her subjects far from the life around her; quite the reverse; and
therein lies the charm of her sculpture--a great, sincere, and simple
charm, which at once arouses one's emotion. What, for instance, could be
more poignantly sad than this 'Enfant Malade' group, with the fath
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