Virgin and Child 1736

This small, unpainted limewood sculpture of the Virgin and Child was created by Giovanni Giuliani, an Italian artist working in Austria around the turn of the 18th century. This work reflects the social and cultural importance of religious imagery during the Baroque period, when the Catholic Church was a powerful institution that commissioned art to inspire and educate the faithful. Giuliani was employed by monasteries, which saw art as a didactic tool and a celebration of the divine. The Virgin Mary represented ideals of motherhood and piety, so these sculptures would have reinforced social norms and religious values within the community. To fully understand the cultural significance of an artwork like this, a historian researches patronage, religious practices, and the social function of art in 18th-century Austria, which can allow us to appreciate how it once resonated within its original context.