Thomas E. Marr (Nova Scotia, 1849 - 1910, Boston)
Virgin Adoring the Christ Child by Matteo di Giovanni Civitali, 1902 - 1906
Gelatin silver print
This vertical, black and white silver gelatin print photograph shows an Italian sculpture of the Virgin Mary adoring the Christ Child. To our right is Mary, kneeling with her hands clasped in prayer and looking down and to our left at the infant Jesus. The baby is also kneeling, with his hands clasped in prayer, and he looks up at his mother. Both are light-skinned with medium dark hair. Mary’s dark dress reaches the floor and extends under the unclothed baby Jesus. The sculpture sits on an elaborately carved podium, with an angel’s head and wings at the center top. At the left edge is a vertical band with a design.
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.