The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception

Unknown

18th century · Ivory, partly gilded and polychromed; halo: silver; eyes: glass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The pose indicates the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. A fuller rendering of the type would feature a crescent moon beneath her feet, following the iconography drawn from Revelation. The belief was embraced with particular enthusiasm in Spain and her colonial empire. An enormous number of ivory images of the Virgin were produced in the Philippines and many, like this example, show her robe distinctively tucked in back. The back of her head and hair were carved separately to permit the insertion of glass eyes, a realistic touch found in much Spanish devotional sculpture.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Ivory, partly gilded and polychromed; halo: silver; eyes: glass

Culture

Hispano-Philippine

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Loretta Hines Howard, 1964