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Lot Essay
Héliodore Fortin (1889-1934), the author of La Bible des Esprits Libres, was born in Quebec and emigrated to Paris in 1912. In 1926, he founded the ‘Resurrectoir’, a religious syncretism. He attempted to unite elements from different religions, electing twelve ‘demigods’ including Buddha, Jesus Christ and Osiris. In 1927, Fortin commissioned Kalmakoff to produce a series of twenty-five panels for the interior of his Chapel of the Resurrected, located at 38 bis rue Fontaine in Paris. This esoteric series, depicting the evolution of humanity, was rediscovered in the town of Metz in 1964.
According to Fortin, the series represents twelve ‘flames’ or stations, symbolising the path to deification. Flame V (lot 85), like the other eleven ‘flames’, has a divine light in the eyes and a redeeming halo; the head is turned towards a rising flame, symbolising the soul on its way to deification.
Odin (lot 87) and Huitzilopchtli (lot 86) are from the series of twelve demigods. In Norse mythology, Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty and knowledge. Considered as the most prominent æsir (Norse deity), Odin is depicted with raven wings adorning his helmet, a reminder of the two ravens that fly all over the world and tell Odin what they see and hear. For the Aztecs, Huitzilopchtli is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He is often depicted with a green hummingbird helmet.
After Fortin’s death, Kalmakoff designed Fortin’s funerary monument, unveiled in 1935 at the Cimetière parisien de Pantin.
According to Fortin, the series represents twelve ‘flames’ or stations, symbolising the path to deification. Flame V (lot 85), like the other eleven ‘flames’, has a divine light in the eyes and a redeeming halo; the head is turned towards a rising flame, symbolising the soul on its way to deification.
Odin (lot 87) and Huitzilopchtli (lot 86) are from the series of twelve demigods. In Norse mythology, Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty and knowledge. Considered as the most prominent æsir (Norse deity), Odin is depicted with raven wings adorning his helmet, a reminder of the two ravens that fly all over the world and tell Odin what they see and hear. For the Aztecs, Huitzilopchtli is a deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He is often depicted with a green hummingbird helmet.
After Fortin’s death, Kalmakoff designed Fortin’s funerary monument, unveiled in 1935 at the Cimetière parisien de Pantin.