Madonna and Child c. 18th century

sculpture, ivory

3d sculpting

structure

stone

sculpture

ring

fountain

sculptural image

unrealistic statue

sculpting

sculpture

ivory

statue

This small ivory sculpture, created by an anonymous artist in the 18th century, depicts the Madonna and Child. The Virgin Mary is shown holding the Christ child, who is swaddled in cloth. The piece is carved in a naturalistic style, with attention to detail in the figures' drapery and facial expressions. This work of art is an excellent example of the craftsmanship and devotion that went into the creation of religious imagery during the Baroque period. It is currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The province of Goa in western India was under Portuguese control from 1512–1961, forming a nexus in trading routes that circumnavigated the earth. Goan craftsman were renowned for their supple modeling of ivory (likely exported from Mozambique) into Christian icons, which feed the appetite for luxury products in Europe, as well as furthered evangelical missions throughout Asia and the Americas. Within the genre of Indo-Portuguese ivories, popular subjects include ‘Christ as the Good Shepard’ (the image of Christ as child would have related to similar bronze statuettes of the God Krishna) and the ‘Virgin of the Immaculate Conception,’ which shows Mary atop a crescent moon, both of which remain ever-present icons in South Asia’s diverse religious landscape.