Pierre Le Ber (1669 – 1 October 1707), a son of

Jacques Le Ber Jacques Le Ber ( c. 1633 – 25 November 1706) was a merchant and seigneur in Montreal, New France. In 1686 he was ennobled by Louis XIV and took the title Jacques Le Ber de Saint-Paul de Senneville, based on his hometown of Senneville-sur-F� ...

and brother of

Jeanne Le Ber Jeanne Le Ber (4 January 1662 – 3 October 1714) was a recluse in New France. Family and education Jeanne Le Ber was born in Ville-Marie (Montreal), on January 4, 1662. As a daughter of Jeanne Le Moyne and Jacques Le Ber, Jeanne was raise ...

, was a painter from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Biography

Le Ber was a member of two of the wealthiest families in the colony and used his wealth to be a generous member of his community, founding an almshouse. He contributed to the

Congregation of Notre Dame The Congrégation de Notre Dame (CND) is a religious community for women founded in 1658 in Ville Marie (Montreal), in the colony of New France, now part of Canada. It was established by Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was recruited in France to creat ...

, likely because of his sister, Jeanne, was a recluse there. He was one of the founders and supporters of the

Brothers Hospitallers The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, officially the Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God (abbreviated as OH), are a Catholic religious order founded in 1572. In Italian they are also known commonly as the Fatebenefra ...

(Hôpital Général of the Charon brothers). Le Ber was considered an untalented amateur painter in his lifetime. In 1965, his so-called primitive painting of

Marguerite Bourgeoys Marguerite Bourgeoys, CND (; 17 April 162012 January 1700), was a French religious sister and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in the colony of New France, now part of Québec, Canada. Born in Troyes, she became part of a ...

, restored in 1963-1964 in New York,Ethel Tiffin, "Restoration of Painting Described". Montreal Star, Nov 10, 1965 brought him to the attention of the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

art world and his surviving work and his life have been examined. The oil painting of

as a nearly 80-year old compassionate woman who suffered and shared the suffering of others is in the possession of the mother house of the

, Montreal. His work marks him as an important artist of the time.

Gallery

Image:La Venerable Marguerite Bourgeoys by Pierre Le Ber.jpg, La Venerable

by Pierre Le Ber c. 1700, before restoration. Image:Pierre_le_Ber_-_Le_vrai_portrait_de_Marguerite_Bourgeoys_-_1700.jpg, Le Ber's painting of

, c. 1700, restored.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Ber, Pierre 1669 births 1707 deaths Canadian male painters Pre-Confederation Quebec people 17th-century painters People of New France