Virgo Virginum
Anonymous Artist

This exquisite sample of a piece of Art Nouveau Catholic artwork shows Mary, Virgin of Virgins, in a serene depiction, surrounded by lilies representing her purity, and a halo that contains her lofty title.

If the whole thing looks like a poster from the 1960s, that's because the styles were not that different. Nouveau and the 1960s were both right-brained times of feelings and intuitions, like the Romantic times before them. Mary's purity and perfection seem luminous in this picture. It's quit different, from, say, a Baroque painting of the same subject, which is more of a heavy-handed argument, while this painting is lighter, more a gesture.

It was printed by the Bouasse-Jeune printing company of Paris, a spin-off of Bouasse-Lebel by the younger Bouasse brother, in the early years of the 20th Century. They are both two of our all time favorite Catholic art printers, at a time when Paris was the art center of the world and saturated with brilliant and highly-trained painters looking for work. The Brothers Bouasse could have their pick of genius artists. Bouasse-Jeune would only be in business a few more years, but Bouasse-Lebel would go into the 1960s, lasting about 120 years after it was founded by their mother. (source: uDayton.edu)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border all around the image of about .5" for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17". All Approx! The white space gives the framed picture a finished look without using a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.