An alabaster Virgin in a glass case

An alabaster Virgin in a glass case.

Italy, last quarter XVIII Century.

cm 34 × 11 × 45 (h)

A polychrome terracotta statuette of the Immaculate Virgin, standing with hands joined on the breast, her feet on a gilded cloud, a small serpent entwined around the base and a silvered crescent moon below, the traditional iconography of the Immaculate Conception. The figure is presented within a polychrome and giltwood octagonal display case, with bevelled glasses on all sides, a painted blue sky and white drapery as a backdrop, and a fine gilt beading trim. The polychromy shows minor losses consistent with age, the gilt trim worn in places to the underlying wood, lending the ensemble the warmth of a long venerated object. A devotional piece that is at once a sculpture and a small architectural presence.