New! The Virgin in Prayer – Jean Bourdichon – Catholic Art Print – Archival Quality

This delicate and serene painting of Mary praying is a beautiful example of late Medieval art. It is a miniature from The Hours of Charles VIII, and it shows Mary alone as the subject matter instead of crowding her in with angels and others. The skill level is high, expressing the gracefulness of the Renaissance taking over from the more rudimentary Gothic paintings. Mary is beautifully proportioned, she is portrayed with nuance in the peaceful mental state of prayer, and besides her beauty, there is elegance to her, from her long, aristocratic fingers, to her perfect robes, to her calm and royal demeanor.

Books of Hours were beautiful, late Medieval illustrated prayer books often used by royalty. Some of the most exquisite Catholic art of the period is found in them. This one comes from the early 1490s, about the time of Christopher Columbus. It is called the Heures de Charles VIII, the Hours of Charles VIII, who was a young king of France who only reigned a few years.

Sixteen of the paintings in the book, including this one, are attributed to Jean Bourdichon, who worked for the court, or his workshop. There is a companion painting of Christ in the same style as this one, painted using ochre and presented as a tapestry. We hope to offer that one to you soon, but this one touched our heart more. (source: wikiwand.com)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border around the image. Approximately 0.5" wide for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17 and 16x20. For the two poster sizes, 18x24 and 24x36, we use 0.5" borders. We do this because the ratio of the rectangle of the art almost never matches the rectangle of the paper, and if it did happen to match one size, it would not match the others. Most fine art printers do this because otherwise they’d have to crop the art or warp it to make it fit the paper. The border looks good. It gives the picture a faux matted appearance.

There is almost always a little more border either on the left-right sides, or the top-bottom, depending on whether the ratio of the art is wider or taller than the paper.

We make Archival Quality fine art prints:

– Acid-free paper

– Archival pigments

– Cardboard backer for sizes 11x14 and less.

– Above story of the art

– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal-clear bag.

– Rated to last 200+ years without fading if kept dry and out of the direct sun.

Thanks for your interest!

+JMJ+

Sue & John

Lincoln, Nebraska

You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewelry 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 any image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – Classic Catholic Art.