This Catholic votive statue of Mary, Mother of God, shows her at the moment of the Immaculate Conception. It was modelled by the great Meissen modeller, J. J. Kändler. He created a number of models of biblical figures intended as special altarpiece garnitures for churches or the chapels of princely palaces, some over a metre high. The size of this model however, suggests that it was probably intended for private devotion. While Kändler could draw on living creatures in the royal menagerie and mounted specimens of birds for some of his well-known animal models, he had to rely on prints for inspiration for his religious figures, usually of Italian origin. The dramatic billowing drapery and intensely religious pose of this figure are typical features of the Italian baroque movement.

This figure is a far cry from the bawdy animation of Kändler's harlequins, the poetic detail of his street vendors, the humour of his monkey musicians or the elegant sophistication of his courtly figures. It shows a different side to this marvelously versatile sculptor who, from the moment he arrived in 1731, transformed model production at the Meissen factory.