Large Antique Remarkable Hand Carved Mourning Mary Magdalene Church Sculpture

Stunning religious wall panel in thick relief with strong hook for easy mounting. For the collectors of stunning antique church relics we are also offering this marvelously hand carved pelican sculpture for wall mounting. The character ascribed to the pelican in this context is nearly as fabulous as that of the phœnix. From a clumsy, gluttonous, piscivorous water-bird, it was by the growth of legends transformed into a mystic emblem of Christ, whom Dante terms "Nostro Pelicano". St. Hieronymus gives the story of the pelican restoring its young ones destroyed by serpents as an illustration of the destruction of man by the old Serpent, and his salvation by the blood of Christ. The pelican in Christian art is an emblem of Jesus Christ, by "whose blood we are healed" and it is also a symbol of charity. Many early painters and carvers mistakenly represented it more similar to an eagle (much like in this antique church relic), and not as a natural pelican which is why most people today still are a bit confused at first when this stunning hand carved, symbolic bird is called a pelican. This striking and all hand carved, symbolic panel was originally part of a church or monastery communion rail...

Sttunning, quality and meaningful work of religious art. This skillfully hand carved and large size Sacred Heart of Christ statue is another one of our ...

Unique and antique alabaster sculpture of our Lord Jesus. This gorgeous and large size work of religious art from a church or monastery is...

Museum quality and condition work of religious art with amazing, hand carved details. This amazingly hand carved wooden wall plaque is not only of great quality and condition, it also has a patina that is unlike anything you ever saw. Over the decades we have sold a number of unique and interesting crucifixes, but we had not yet come across one that is inside such a beautiful branches and leaf frame in the Swiss Black Forest style. For us to have found it in this amazing condition again felt like a blessing and we are grateful to be able it to offer it to our 1stdibs clientele first. At the centre of this Christian-work-of-art-wall-plaque and behind the original, mouth-blown convex glass 'window' is an even more detailed sepiolite sculpture of Christ on the cross. The details in this crucifix sculpture...