St. Mary of Victory

With the death of Prince-Elector Johann Wilhelm in 1716, Grupello lost his status as court artist and, at the age of 72, devoted himself to religious wooden sculpture. In cooperation with his workshop assistants he created a series of figures of the Virgin Mary based on the altar painting by Carlo Marattas in S. Isidoro Agricola in Rome of around 1663. The figure of Mary with the Infant Jesus in her arms corresponds to the motif of the ‘Virgin Mary Victorious’, for Jesus once held a cross in his hand with which he killed the snake from the Garden of Eden at his mother’s feet and thus triumphed over evil. Its dynamism and belligerence made this motif very popular during the Counter-Reformation. Moreover, it legitimizes Mary as Queen of Heaven by having her take part in her Son’s work of salvation. The figure of Mary rises up elegantly from the globe, her lines rounder and softer than those of similar Madonnas by Grupello. This is why this version of the Virgin Mary is ascribed to Grupello’s workshop. (Katja Storalow)