The fine rendering of Brebeuf’s face is particularly naturalistic and may be based on a contemporary portrait.
Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) was the leader of eight French Jesuit missionaries martyred by the Iroquois during various encounters. He was canonized in 1930 as one of the Canadian Martyrs and is a Patron Saint of Canada. He knew Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous saint in Canada.
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