Madonna stands upon dragon and clouds with hands placed to chest

Immaculate Madonna, c.1710

Marbleexpand_more

The Driscoll Art Accessions Endowment Fundexpand_more  2010.77

Ponsonelli presents a vision of the Virgin Mary floating on clouds, one foot placed firmly on the crescent moon, the other on a dragon (symbol of the devil). The iconography represents the Immaculate Madonna, referring to the Catholic doctrine that Mary was born without sin, like her son Jesus. Ponsonelli ramped up the drama by showing Mary’s clothes in tumultuous movement, her wind-whipped drapery a masterly rendering in marble. The foremost sculptor in Genoa in the early 1700s, Ponsonelli worked for patrons all over Europe, and some of his sculptures were reportedly sent to Latin America.

Details
Title
Immaculate Madonna
Artist Life
1654–1735
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2010.77
Curator Approved

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Madonna stands upon dragon and clouds with hands placed to chest