Description:
Item #: 9-351-0
Vintage French Chalkware Crowned Jesus Child of Prague
Comment:
A beautiful expression and vibrant colors make this a special piece.
Subject:
INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE
The Infant Jesus of Prague, also called the Child of Prague, is a famous statue of the infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague. Its history started in the 17th century when a statue of the Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia as a wedding gift to a Spanish Princess and was eventually given to the Discalced Carmelites. The sculpture was damaged during the Thirty Years War, but was eventually discovered again by Father Cyrillus. One day while praying before the sculpture, Father Cyrillus heard a voice saying, The more you honor me, the more I will bless you. Since that time, the sculpture has drawn thousands of devotees worldwide and many have claimed blessings, favors and miraculous healings due to petitioning the sculpture during a pilgrimage.
According to Irish Christian folklore, brides will place a Child of Prague statue outside their house the night before their wedding to ensure that there will be good weather for the wedding day.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth (2 BC - 36 AD), also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the incarnation of God. The principal sources of information regarding the life of Jesus and His teachings are the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree Jesus was a Galilean Jew, who was regarded as a teacher and healer. He was baptized by John the Baptist and crucified in Jerusalem under the order of Pontius Pilate. Christian views of Jesus center on the belief that he is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. His mother was the Virgin Mary, also known as Our Lady or the Madonna.
Object: Sculpture
Origin: France
Dimensions (inches:)
8.25H x 5.25W x 2.50D
Date: 1930
Condition:
GOOD
In overall good condition. Antique and vintage items by their very nature show normal wear to finish and miscellaneous scratches, nicks, and dings due to age and use. As we define 'good condition' relative to the stated age of the piece, we would expect to see 'character marks' consistent with that age and could include nicks or dings to a wooden or metal object, wear to a painted surface, speckling on a mirror, crazing or manufacturing glaze skips in ceramic finish, wear to a label, and some original decorative trim may be missing. If ceramic/porcelain restoration has been done, it is of museum-quality so that it is hardly discernable and would be mentioned in the listing. 'Good condition' would not include chips or cracks in any glass or ceramic item.
Item Specifics:
Damage to crown and hand and a crack in Jesus' head has been professionally restored.
Material:
CHALKWARE
Chalkware is a term that refers to decorative items made out of gypsum, which were very popular from the late 18th century through the 1930s. Gypsum is a mineral compound also called sulphate of lime, which is usually found underground near limestone deposits. Raw gypsum is a pure white crystal called alabaster. When gypsum is heated, the resulting white powder is called burnt gypsum, also known as Plaster of Paris for the large gypsum deposit at Montmartre in Paris. Ordinary schoolroom chalk is also a form of burnt gypsum. Gypsum is easily cast into sculptures and decoration for frames, but is quite soft and breaks easily.
Style:
RELIGIOUS
Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object that is considered sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. The Christian religion is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Christianity has played a prominent role in shaping Western civilization since the 4th century. Currently Christianity has between 1.5 billion and 2.1 billion followers, representing about a quarter to a third of the world's population. With more than 1 billion members, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest church representing over half of all Christians and one sixth of the world's population.
Shipping:
This item will be shipped within the Contiguous 48 United States via a Ground shipping service (UPS or FedEx), approximate 1-6 business day shipping time. EuroLux Antiques may ship some packages via USPS Parcel Post, approximately 2-9 business day delivery time, at its sole discretion. All shipments include insurance.
Additional Information:
Because EuroLuxAntiques maintains its own website and lists on other online sites, while also operating a physical store location in Newberry, South Carolina, we reserve the right to end any listing early if it has not been purchased outright or no bids have been placed upon the item. On occasion, a piece listed on a website may no longer be available. We do our best to maintain the accuracy of our inventory records but we often have customers interested in the same item at the same time. In those cases, we defer to the customer who placed the earlier order. We apologize in advance by any inconvenience this may cause. Because of this, we encourage all of our buyers to purchase the item as quickly as possible so that your treasured find doesn't sell elsewhere to someone else. Happy browsing and thanks! Aimee & Greg Talbot at EuroLuxAntiques.
Additional Pictures:
In many cases, EuroLux Antiques has many more pictures of our items than this website allows us to place in our descriptions. If you are interested in seeing these additional pictures, please email or call us and we would be happy to send the pictures to you if they are available.