st. fabiola.

over the last two decades belgian artist francis alÿs has assembled a significant collection of nearly identical paintings and other depictions of fourth-century saint fabiola. all are based on a renowned, but lost, portrait by nineteenth-century french academic painter jean-jacques henner. gathered from flea markets, antique shops, and private collections throughout europe and the americas, the collection offers a window onto aesthetic, sociological, and theological values over the past century and more. alÿs's group includes more than three hundred fabiola portraits, all of them copies of a lost original: most are paintings, and there are several versions in needlepoint, wood relief, and other materials as well.

{found via drawings and notes}