Infant Jesus painted by St. Therese of Lisieux

The dream of the Child Jesus. Painting of 1894, retouched by Céline. The painting, offered in 1895 to the Visitation of Mans, is found today in the Visitation of Moulins.  It was offered to Mother Agnès along with a letter explaining it

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/257338566181128250/

LT 156 From Thérèse to Mother Agnes of Jesus.
January 21, 1894
J.M.J.T.
Thérèse comments her painting The Dream of the Child Jesus.

The Dream of the Child Jesus
While playing in His crib with the flowers His dear spouse brought Him, Jesus is thinking of what He will do to thank her.... Up above, in the celestial gardens, the angels, servants of the divine Child, are already weaving crowns His Heart has reserved for His beloved.
However, the night has come. The moon sends out its silvery rays, and the gentle Child falls asleep.... His little hand does not let go the flowers that delighted Him during the day, and His Heart con­tinues dreaming about the happiness of His dear spouse.
Soon, He sees in the distance strange objects bearing no resemblance to the springtime flowers. A cross!... a lance!, a crown of thorns! And yet the divine Child does not tremble; this is what He chooses to show His spouse how much He loves her!.. But it is still not enough; His infant face is so beautiful. He sees it disfigured, covered with blood! ...unrecognizable!.. .Jesus knows that His spouse will always recognize Him, that she will be at His side when all others abandon Him, so the divine Child smiles at this bloodstained image, He smiles at the chalice filled with the wine giving birth to virgins. He knows that, in His Eucharist, the ungrateful will desert Him; but Jesus is thinking of His spouse's love, her attention He sees the flowers of her virtues as they scent the sanctuary and the Child Jesus continues to sleep on peacefully.... He waits the shadows to lengthen .. .the night of life to give way to the bright day of eternity!...
Then Jesus will give back to His beloved spouse the flowers she had given Him, consoling Him on earth.... Than He will lower His divine Face to her, radiant with glory, and He will allow His spouse to taste eternally the ineffable sweetness of His divine kiss!!!...


Dear Mother,
You have just read the dream that your child wanted to reproduce for your feast day. But, alas! only your artistic brush could paint such a sweet mystery!... I trust you will look only upon the good will of her who would be happy to please you.
It is you, Mother, these virtues are yours that I wanted to repre­sent by the little flowers that Jesus is pressing to His Heart. The flowers are really for Jesus alone! yes, my dear Mother's virtues will always remain hidden with the little Child in the crib; however, in spite of the humility that would like to hide them, the mysterious perfume coming from these flowers gives me a presentiment already of the marvels that I shall see one day in the eternal homeland when I shall be allowed to contemplate the treasures of love that you are now giving to Jesus.

http://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/english/carmel/index.php/lt-151-a-160/1017-lt-156-a-mere-agnes-de-jesus