The statue of the Virgin Mary pictured above was amongst my mother's few possessions when she died in the nursing home some years ago. The slender, elongated, and perfectly symmetrical figure has an Art Deco look about it. A friend gave the statue to her, and my mother whispered to me that it may be worth a good deal of money. I think not, but the Mary figure is a keepsake and, in appearance, is more interesting than most devotional statues of Jesus and the saints.
A gold sticker on the bottom of the statue reads:
RELIGIOUS FIGUREAfter Googling around a bit, I found the website Amilcare Santini.
Sculptor A. Santini
MADE IN ITALY
In 1958 with his son Nedo, 23 years old, he decided to begin the production of statues in imitation alabaster and, some months later, the production of statue in alabaster powder and oxolyte under the name of ISAC DI SANTINI NEDO (INDUSTRIA STATUE ARTISTICHE CECINESI) in a small plant in Cecina, Via della Madonna n°12.My statue is a little over 10" tall and may be made of bonded or imitation alabaster.
Mary’s Song of Praise
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
(Luke 1: 46-55)
The statue is rather lovely. I wonder what it is worth? Did the Santini website give any clue? ...
ReplyDeleteE-Bay has Santini statues for varying prices. I checked out a number of websites that sell Santini statues, but I was not able to find my exact statue anywhere. Santini copied masterpieces like the Piéta and such, too, but whether mine is such a copy, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteIt's really lovely, Mimi. What it is worth in memory and sentiment can't be measured.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny. I'm truly fond of the statue because it belonged to my mother, but also because I like the look of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to remember both your mothers. I am glad you have the statue.
ReplyDelete"MY MOTHER'S MARY"
ReplyDeleteCould be either a description (of an artifact) or a proclamation (of religious devotion), no?
Lindy, thanks.
ReplyDeleteJCGF, I never thought of the second meaning you suggest. It's true, because I carried my wish to honor Mary over to the Episcopal Church from Rome. To my surprise, I found I had a good deal of company.
Lovely statue.
ReplyDeleteI have a little white porcelain Mary on the windowsill in our study. She's in similar pose to yours.
Got her in a charity shop for £2 (you may call them thrift shops over the pond?)
Allie, thanks. Yes, we call them thrift shops or second-hand shops.
ReplyDelete