Virgin of the Immaculate Conception 1710 - 1720

This sculpture of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception was made by Antonio Maragliano, a Genovese artist, probably in the late 17th or early 18th century. The Immaculate Conception, the idea that Mary was born without original sin, was a controversial doctrine, but this image presents it as a universally accepted truth. The sculpture participates in a visual language of its time, but the social conditions of Genoa inflect its meaning. As a Republic, Genoa had a deep aristocratic tradition that had long produced a complex relationship with the Church. This is where the imagery of the Immaculate Conception comes in, asserting and reasserting the primacy of the Catholic faith. The art historian can look at these images in the context of a wide range of religious, social, and political changes that are part of the history of Genoa and consider the purposes they were meant to serve. This gives us insight into the relationship between art and the culture that produced it.