The Virgin Immaculate with the Christ Child 1770

Giuseppe Cades’ 1770 drawing, “The Virgin Immaculate with the Christ Child,” depicts the Virgin Mary, crowned and robed, standing on a crescent moon, with the Christ Child in her arms. The depiction of the Virgin Mary as the “Immaculate Conception” was a popular theme in Catholic art, referencing her freedom from original sin. In this drawing, the artist captures the moment as an angel kneels in worship and a cherub, perhaps representing Adam, walks toward the Virgin. Cades, who was born in 1750 and died in 1799, expertly uses line work to convey the drama and emotion of the scene, creating a sense of movement and celestial presence.