Madonna and Child (Mother of God of Mariampole), woodcut on handmade paper, Poland, 18th/19th century.
2400,00 zł
Original Polish folk sacred woodcut from the late 18th or early 19th century, depicting the Virgin Mary with Child, also known as the Mother of God of Mariampole. The figure of Mary wearing a crown, surrounded by stars, holding the infant Jesus dressed in a red cloak, with a book in her hand with the inscription at the bottom “AIRAMS.” The composition is static, simplified and symmetrical, typical of devotional prints widespread among the people.
1 in stock
Historical context
Polish folk woodcuts developed in parallel in several centers, of which the Plazovs on the Polish-Ruthenian borderland and the Carmelite workshop discovered after World War I are particularly often cited On the border of Samogitia and East Prussia. In 1921, a high-profile exhibition of old folk woodcuts was organized in Warsaw, a Zygmunt Lazarski published "Teka drzeworytów ludowych dawnych" (Teka of ancient folk woodcuts) (66 prints), which brought this branch of printmaking to the attention of the scholarly and collecting communities. These prints were distributed at indulgences and fairs -. itinerant offenders not only traded, but not infrequently reflected and colored the images themselves, using patrons or a brush "on the fly." Their technique was simple (hand-printing on damp paper, without a press), and the range of colors - bright and sparing, subordinated to the decorative and devotional function. Over time, woodcuts supplanted lithographs, chromolithographs and oleo-prints, but in the 19th century they still remained the "cheapest and closest" form of domestic devotional art. This context is brilliantly drawn by Jan St. Bystron's study, summarizing the state of research at the time (Witkiewicz, Sokolowski, Kieszkowski) and describing the practices of workshops, circulation and coloring of prints.
It is worth pointing out Mariampol (near Lezajsk) as a local point of indulgence circulation in southeastern Poland. It was in this pilgrimage-fair circle that small, practical sheet formats of Frontal monumentalized figure of the saint, with strong black outline, intense red in the parts of the robes and bordering with leafy motifs. Used handmade paper, and colors were applied with a stencil (patron) or brush by hand, which explains the differences in saturation and course of stains between different prints.
Symbolism
The iconography of the crowned Madonna surrounded by stars alludes to the image of the Apocalyptic Woman (12 stars). The Child's red mantle accentuates royalty and protection, while the booklet in Jesus' hand refers to wisdom/Logos.
Collector's value
The presented original devotional woodcut in a small format has preserved the authentic polychrome, legible outline and inscription (with a minor loss). This is a representative example of "indulgence circulation prints" from southeastern Poland, valuable for both collectors of sacred and ethnographic art, as well as for museum institutions collecting a cross-section of 19th-century folk prints
Aesthetic qualities
The power of the image is born from the monumentalization of the figures in a modest format, from the clearly guided outline and vivid reds On the robe and the halo. Simple and flat development of the form, The typification of features and floral bordure give the composition a decorative quality inherent in folk art.
Application
The framed woodcut is ideal for display in rustic, vintage and sacred spaces ; it can serve as a private cult image (home altarpiece), teaching material in museum education about Polish folk art and graphic history, or artistic inspiration.
In the 19th-century indulgence circuit, it happened that the faithful would cut off small scraps from pictures/woodcuts, crush them and swallow them in water or honey - in the belief that this would help forgive sins or bring healing. This was a local folk custom, noted by ethnographers; the Church did not recommend it, but the practice functioned on the margins of domestic piety.
| Weight | 0,374 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 10,5 × 16 cm |
| Type |
Devotional woodcut (folk graphics) |
| Form |
Framed picture to hang on the wall |