To complete my brief survey of the contemporary religious art of France, I'm showcasing a recent acquisition of special importance for the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection by Georges Rouault, the unrivalled master of French contemporary sacred art. The color aquatint of an elegent woman of sorrowful features in profile is the missing print needed to complete a suite in the Collection of 17 illustrations by Rouault for a text by Andre Saures, loosely based on the last days and sufferings of Christ, published as The Passion in 1939 by French Gallerist Ambroise Vollard. This 12th plate in the series has been titled in many collections as Dame a la huppe (translated as "woman with headress" or "the chic lady.") An alternative appellation, Sainte Pute (Blessed Whore), may come closer to its true meaning for Rouault, linking the print to paintings early in his career of prostitutes in the seedy Parisian demi-monde. As a repentant woman with a dubious past, she brings to mind Christ's encounter with the woman who "loved much" and was certain to enter the Kingdom of Heaven before more respectable, self-righteous folk. (John Kohan)