18th Century Immaculate Conception with Saints Sculpture Marble

First half of the 19th century Madonna and Child with souls in Purgatory Lacquered and gilded papier-mache with polychrome wooden base cm 96.5 x 37.5 x 28 "At that time I asked the Lord Jesus: 'For whom do I still have to pray?'. Jesus answered me that the following night he would make me known for whom I had to pray. I saw the Custodian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. At a moment I found myself in a foggy place, invaded by fire and, in it, a huge crowd of suffering souls. These souls pray with great fervour, but without effectiveness for themselves: only we can help them. The flames that burned them, they did not touch me. My Guardian Angel did not abandon me for a moment. And I asked those souls what their greatest torment was. And they unanimously answered me that their greatest torment is the ardent desire of God. I read the Madonna who visited the souls of Purgatory. The souls call Mary 'Star of the Sea'. She brings them refreshment ". (Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska p. 11) A Polish religious, Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) reinterpreted in the pages of her testimony the ancient role of the Virgin as savior and supporter of the souls of Purgatory. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council established that, assumed into Heaven, the Mother of God should operate a continuous intercession in favor of those children waiting for Paradise who were in the place, quoted for the first time by Pope Gregory the Great...

18th Century Sant’Antonio Abate Wood, cm alt. 61 Base 25 x 17.5 cm This wooden sculpture depicts Sant’Antoni Abate. Antonio was born in Come i...

18th century Personification of the Day Alabaster, cm 11.5 x 17.5 x 5 With base cm 14.5 x 20,8 x 11.7 Il Giorno is a marble sculpture (160x150 cm) that Michelangelo mad...

Tuscan school, 17th century Madonna with Child - from the Impruneta Tondo Measures: Polychrome terracotta, 65 x 46 x 10 cm This polychrome terracotta relief, gently jutting...

An exceptional 18th-century Spanish Baroque sculpture of the Immaculate Conception, carved in chestnut wood and richly polychromed and crowned. The sculpture retains its vibrant pi...

Marble sculpture depicting "Saint Cristofer" 18th century Marble base. Some defects Good condition for the age Measures: 36 x 14 x 7 cm.

A late 17th century marble sculpture of a saint, possibly Central Italian. Monogrammed on the marble base "F G F."

Completely hand-crafted in 18th century Spain, this sculpture of the Virgin stands 1.5 meters / 5 feet tall and was most certainly created for devotional purposes, to be displayed in a church or chapel. Besides its impressive size this sculpture is an excellent, museum-quality example of the Spanish “Estofado” polychrome technique, developed during the Gothic period to imitate rich brocade fabrics. The finely carved “fabric” areas of the sculpture would be first covered in gesso, and then a layer of gold leaf would be applied. The gold leaf would then be painted over with various colors of tempera paints. Once dry, the painted surface would be incised or scratched away in patterns, revealing the gold beneath. The sculpture was professionally restored in 2022 by a firm that is often hired by the Spanish government to work on historic building interiors and museum pieces. The virgin was carefully cleaned, repaired and its condition stabilized. A complete and fully-illustrated restoration report will be included with purchase. Often confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, the belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself was conceived “immaculately” without original sin has been variously defended and debated within the Catholic Church since the pre-Middle Ages. For centuries, artists struggled to create an acceptable visual representation of this highly abstract concept, in part taking inspiration from the Book of Revelation and other scriptural sources. We see the Virgin standing on a half moon (biblically inspired, though also an ancient symbol of chastity) with her long natural hair loose down her back, another indication of purity. Both her white tunic and flowing blue mantle...