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Statuette - Virgin of the Immaculate Conception

Virgin of the Immaculate Conception

  • Object:

    Statuette

  • Place of origin:

    Goa, India (probably, made)
    Sri Lanka (probably, made)

  • Date:

    ca. 1650 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Carved ivory

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh FSA

  • Museum number:

    A.60-1949

  • Gallery location:

    South Asia, room 41, case 14

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Ivory sculptures were locally produced in large numbers in Portuguese Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon). Usually for an European clientele, their style of carving combines Indian or Sri Lankan with European traditions. The Virgin Mary was often standing on the crescent moon, triumphant over a dragon, both symbols derived from the Book of the Apocalypse.
From the sixteenth-century, the Portuguese were active as traders and later as rulers in Sri Lanka and Goa (on the west coast of India).

Physical description

Statuette in carved ivory. The Virgin in long robes, her hands together in an attitude of prayer, stands on the crescent moon above a dragon, which turns its head to look up at her. The ivory base is decorated with a leaf pattern; the figure stands on a black wooden base. One tip of the crescent is broken.

Place of Origin

Goa, India (probably, made)
Sri Lanka (probably, made)

Date

ca. 1650 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Carved ivory

Dimensions

Height: 43.5 cm, Width: 18 cm, Depth: 12.5 cm

Object history note

This object was created in the Portuguese colony of Ceylon or Goa in the seventeenth-century. It was given to the V&A by Dr W.L. Hildburgh FSA in 1949.

Historical context note

From the sixteenth-century, the Portuguese were active as traders and later as rulers in Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) and Goa (on the west coast of India). Ivory sculptures were locally produced in large numbers for an European clientele, and their style of carving combines Indian or Sri Lankan with European traditions.

Descriptive line

Statuette, ivory, The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, Goa or Sri Lanka, ca. 1650

Exhibition History

Art and the East India Trade (Victoria and Albert Museum 20/10/1970-29/12/1970)

Labels and date

Ivory sculptures were produced in large numbers in Portuguese Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon). The Virgin Mary was often standing on the crescent moon, triumphant over a dragon, both symbols derived from the Book of the Apocalypse in the New Testament. [March 2009]

Materials

Ivory

Techniques

Carving

Subjects depicted

Mary (Virgin Mary); Christianity; Dragon; Immaculate Conception

Categories

Sculpture; Religion; Christianity

Collection code

SCP

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Qr_O198123
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