Saint Catherine Laboure Statue -  Italy - Extremely Rare Item

Description

Saint Catherine Laboure Statue
Very Hard to Find Item
Offering a wonderfully handcrafted
Statue of Saint Catherine Laboure,
made in Italy. This is an elegantly painted sacramental with rich oil painted coloring and simple lines.  It has been newly refurbished by a professional conservator. Height 12 inches, width 4.5 inches, on a 3.50 by 3.50 inch beveled octagonal base.
This magnificent artifact depicts Saint Catherine Laboure, who is best remembered by the visions that began on July 19, 1830 of the Blessed Virgin Mary while she was training to be a Daughter of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.  The visions occurred several times in the Chapel of the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity on the Rue du Bac in Paris. In the vision, Mary stood on a celestial dome, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Describing the original vision, Catherine said the Virgin Mary appeared with arms outstretched, radiant as a sunrise, "in all her perfect beauty."
Sister Catherine is shown in a very detailed depiction of the traditional habit and winged cornette worn by the Daughters of Charity. The internationally famous habit in dark navy with white collar and headdress with linen toquois and green corded chaplet are true to the original clothing worn. The polychromed surface of this medium sized statue has a rich matte finish with antique gold painted accents. This particular item is a traditional depiction of Saint Catherine, holding a handful of the Miraculous Medals for which she is famous.
Statues of Saint Catherine are very rare and hard to find.
The hand painted details in rich oil colors are truly exquisite, giving it tremendous presence and the finesse of a museum piece. This item was handcrafted in the mid century process of plaster or gypsum molding, where a white powdered mixture of calcium sulfate hemidrydrate is mixed with mineral water to mold an image. This is an ancient technique, and contributes to the cost of this item. It is called "Plaster of Paris" because of the large amounts of gypsum found near Paris, France.
During the 1930's,1940's and 1950's, Catholic figurines and icons were highly valued as images of faith and inspiration. Vintage religious items usually depicted the Saints, Mary, or Jesus, and have deep spiritual meaning and symbolism. This included the types of colors used, the material used and even the way the image is depicted. Plaster of Paris, porcelain and terra cotta allowed the mass production of statuary during this period, with images of the saints being much sought after.
At this time Ebay is flooded with statuary from China manufactured in synthetic resin, resulting in items sold at much less expensive prices. This item clearly presents itself with a completely superior level of Old World craftsmanship.
As membership in the Roman Catholic Church continues to diminish in the United States, religious items like this continue to enjoy a stunning rise in value. Statuary once plentiful in the 1940's and 1950's have largely been disassociated from their sacred contexts and are now relegated to the shelves of antique stores.
Their value has skyrocketed in the past decade.
As with all groups of sisters, the Daughters of Charity religious order have dramatically diminished in size as well, trending from 36,000 sisters in the 1950's to approximately 12,000 sisters worldwide in 2020.
This particular item has
substantial weight
to it, so shipping cost is on the high dollar side and only an estimate. Buyer will pay additional cost of insurance if coverage is requested. Shipped with USPS Parcel Select Ground. This item will be securely packed, individually wrapped with generous amounts of acid-free silk paper, foam, bubble wrap and/or reinforced cardboard.
Thank you for taking the time to review this unique and hard to find item!  We truly appreciate your interest and are always grateful for a 5 Star review on Ebay!