Claudius Lavergne
Claudius Lavergne (10 December 1815 - 31 December 1887) was a French artist who primarily worked in stained glass. He was also an art critic and an inspector of historical monuments. Biography Lavergne was born in Lyon. His father, Marin Lavergne (1796-1881), was a painter of heraldry and carriages. His mother, Marie, died while giving birth to his brother Pierre in 1817. He began his education at a school associated with the Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay. After graduating, he attended the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon, where he studied with Claude Bonnefond. In 1834, his father sent him to study with Ingres at the French Academy in Rome. Lavergne had his first exhibit at the Salon in 1838, with a painting of Jesus surrounded by children. In 1840 he returned to France, for health reasons, and became a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Four years later, he married , a daughter of the writer and academician, in the church of Saint-Louis-en-l'Île by Abbé Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire. They were friends of Gaspard Mermillod. She became a writer, of tales and short stories. They had nine children, two of whom died in infancy. Two others became religious