Figure of Mary Magdalene 17th-19th century

sculpture, ivory

website interface

dark theme

stone

sculpture

fountain

sculptural image

unrealistic statue

sculpting

sculpture

ivory

ruin

statue

This ivory sculpture depicts Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in Christianity, holding a book, possibly a Bible. The anonymous artist has created a detailed piece, with intricate carvings on the robes and base. The sculpture, likely dating back to the 17th-19th century, showcases the craftsmanship and religious devotion of the era, typical of devotional art.

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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.