This beautiful vintage holy card art is of an engraving of Mary. It was done in the early to mid 1800s and features an ornate, baroque gold-leaf framing around Saint Marie, with blue hand-colored in around the gold. We think it was from the first few decades of the 1800s, before lithographs took over the printing industry. It was published (imp.) in Paris. We got excited when we saw the number 92 in the line at the bottom, hoping it was 1792, but looking closer, it is an addres, Rue de la Harpe 92, which was an address in the French Quarter in Paris. The publisher, Mutrel, is someone we've never seen before, but if you'd gone to that address back 150 or 200 years ago, you would have found him there and could have bought some more of these.

There is something august about the baroque style. The two words are somewhat synonymous I suppose, but I mean, this is a very noble and dignified portrayal of the Blessed Mother that other art styles would not be able to reach so well. The words under her name are 15 Août, which is August 15th, which is the Feast of the Assumption, the very dignified way that Christ exited his mother from this world, she who was conceived without sin and who therefore would not have the effects of original sin, which include death.

The Feast of the Asssumption has been part of the Catholic Church since about the year 600 AD. Your Protestant friends may not agree, but you can tell them that nothing less than a perfect mother would be fit to be the mother of God, and so she must have been untainted by sin, either personal or original. They may not be convinced by that, but they should respect you for it. We have a sweet and beautiful faith, and our hearts can sing to God with it. The Assumption of Mary became dogma in 1950, declared by Pope Pius XII. (source: Catholicnewsagency.com)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

*POSTERS ARE PRINTED WITH SMALL BORDER* This is to preserve the dimensions of the original artwork.

– Acid-free paper
– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
– Cardboard backer
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewerly by me, Sue Kouma Johnson, here on Etsy at www.Etsy.com/shop/TreeOfHeaven
Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.” ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – CatholicArtAndJewelry.