The Immaculate Conception (c. 1765): Art, History and Details

The Immaculate Conception (c. 1765) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Johann Peter Alexander Wagner (German, 1730–1809).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This work has been associated with Johann Pieter Wagner, one of the leading Austrian sculptors of the second half of the 18th century. Because of its small size, it was most likely either a model for a larger altarpiece or an object designed for private devotion. Gold serves as celestial decoration around the border and on the figures. The Virgin Mary stands upon billowing clouds held up by angels, a variant on the Madonna of Victory, which features Mary or Jesus holding a spear. Mary holds the infant Jesus, while trampling a serpent-symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. The holy child holds a bouquet of flowers, representing his ability to bestow grace, expressing the benevolence associated with the cult of the Immaculate Conception.

Object facts

• Title: The Immaculate Conception
• Date: c. 1765
• Creator attribution: Johann Peter Alexander Wagner (German, 1730–1809)
• Culture: Germany, Würzburg, 18th century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: painted wood
• Dimensions: Overall: 43.2 x 30.4 cm (17 x 11 15/16 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1963.674

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. Betty Mont and Frederick A. Mont

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.