New World, Spanish Colonial, Mexico, ca. 19th century CE. A truly striking wooden representation of the Virgin Mary with a Serpent and Crescent Moon - one of my favorite santos in our collection. The wood carving is elaborate, with large repousse silver wings and 12-starred crown. Worshippers have draped her neck with silver chains and rosary beads. Size: 7.5" L x 7.5" W x 21.25" H (19 cm x 19 cm x 54 cm)

Mary, with kind, well-painted face and brown glass eyes, is posed looking downward, with her arms out to one side as if casting something away; she wears richly decorated robes and a dark blue and red garment draped over them in addition to her crown and wings. She stands atop the crescent moon as it rises from a patch of swirling cloud. Below her feet is a serpent whose head emerges in a fierce yowl; his visible tail wraps around one side of the moon. This is the serpent of Genesis and Revelation, a manifestation of Satan.

This type of figure is known as the "Woman of the Apocalypse" and is recognized in many time periods and cultures, especially as part of the Catholic tradition of Marian veneration. It comes from Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, which describes, "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (12:1). That this description describes Mary has been confirmed by multiple saints, Christian authors, and modern popes, and she is also known as the Virgin of the Apocalypse. Our Lady of Guadalupe is often depicted in this manner, with the crescent moon upturned beneath her feet; Rubens' Baroque altarpiece painting, Mondsichelmadonna (Madonna on the Crescent Moon), is an example of this iconography from Freising Cathedral in Germany. This powerful symbolism has obviously spoken to many religious people throughout time.

Santos played an important role in bringing the Catholic Church to the New World with the Spanish colonists. These religious figures were hand-carved and often furnished with crowns, jewels, and other accessories, usually funded by religious devotees, and were used as icons to explain the major figures - Mary, Christ, and the saints - to new, indigenous converts. Likewise, they served as a connection to the Old World for Spanish colonists far from home. They became a folk art tradition in the Spanish New World, from modern day Guatemala to as far north as New Mexico and Colorado. Many of them were lovingly cared for over the years, with repairs and paint added as they aged, and played an active part for a long time in the religious life of their communities.



Provenance: Ex-Francis & Lilly Robicsek Collection, Charlotte, NC

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#120692

Beautiful craquelure on the face and neck. Some losses to paint as shown. Losses to wood on back, one ear of the serpent, and on cloud at base. Large crack visible from the back. Hands appear to have been repaired.