A mid-20th-century polychrome cast chalkware figure depicting Our Lady of Grace (the Immaculate Conception). Formed in classic Catholic devotional style, the Virgin Mary stands with extended arms and open palms, draped in a sky-blue mantle over an ivory-toned gown bound at the waist with a brown belt. She rests upon a cloud-form octagonal pedestal, her foot triumphantly crushing a serpent with a red tongue.

Historical & Style Details

• Subject / Sitter: Our Lady of Grace (Immaculate Conception)
• Period: Early 20th Century
• Origin: Unknown
• Material / Technique: Cast chalkware / plaster with hand-painted polychrome finish
• Decorative Details: Extended open palms, white veil, soft blue mantle, cloud pedestal with serpent
• Colour & Surface: Pale blue, cream, brown, with painted facial details
• Condition: Chipping and paint loss visible to the nose, outer margins of drapery, and base rim; minor surface dust and patina overall

History

Statues of Our Lady of Grace, closely linked to the 1830 apparitions of the Miraculous Medal to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris, became central to Catholic devotional art throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Produced extensively in cast plaster and chalkware, such figures were designed for home altars and personal shrines, symbolizing divine grace and the theological motif of victory over evil represented by the crushed serpent.