CLAUDE ROWBERRY (1896-1962) GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, ALBERT, 20.IX.17 Signed: C.R. watercolour on paper 28 x 19cm Provenance: Abbott and Holder, January, 2009 During World War I, the statue of Mary and the infant Jesus - designed by sculptor Albert Roze and dubbed the "Golden Virgin" - on top of the Basilica of Notre Dame de Brebieres was hit by a shell on January 15, 1915, putting it in a horizontal position and near falling. The Germans said that whoever made the statue fall would lose the war, and a number of legends surrounding the "Leaning Virgin" developed among German, French, and British soldiers. The Leaning Virgin became an especially familiar image to the thousands of British soldiers who fought at the Battle of the Somme (1916), many of whom passed through Albert, which was situated three miles from the front lines. Albert was completely reconstructed after the war, and the Basilica was faithfully rebuilt according to its original design by Eduoard Duthoit, the son of the architect who had overseen its construction in 1885-95. The present statue is an exact replica of Roze's original design, and a war memorial designed by Roze and featuring an image of the "Leaning Virgin" can be seen in the "Abri" Museum, which houses souvenirs of the war. Claude Rowberry was sergeant in the Tank Corps who had a sudden compulsion to paint. He came back to the UK on leave in 1917 and spent all his money on artists' materials; returning to the front he painted. He was awarded the Military medal in 1918. After the war he continued to paint, serving in the Second World War in England, North Africa and Italy. He was very secretive and showed his work to no one in his lifetime.