A devotional cast plaster figure depicting Our Lady of Grace (the Virgin Mary of the Miraculous Medal), executed in traditional Marian iconography with open hands extended downward. The figure is clad in a flowing veil and draped mantle fastened with a brooch-clasp, featuring a gilt waist belt over a long tunic. She stands upon a celestial base of stylized clouds with the serpent crushed beneath her foot and an embossed five-pointed star at the front, supported on an integrated moulded octagonal plinth painted in dark brown.

Condition Report & Historical Details

• Subject / Sitter: Our Lady of Grace (Virgin Mary / Immaculate Conception)
• Period: Early 20th Century
• Origin: France
• Material / Technique: Moulded cast plaster (chalkware) with off-white finish and hand-applied gilt accents
• Decorative Details: Extended open hands, gilt girdle belt, serpent crushed underfoot, embossed star motif on cloud base
• Condition: Visible chipping to the apex of the veil on top of the head and along the edges of the painted base; light age-related rubbing and minor surface soil accumulated in the drapery folds

History

Representations of Our Lady of Grace gained widespread popularity following the 1830 Marian apparitions to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris, which inspired the creation of the Miraculous Medal. Statues featuring this traditional iconography—displaying Mary crushing the serpent beneath her feet with rays of grace implied through extended hands—became ubiquitous in Catholic domestic altars and church devotional spaces throughout France and Western Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.