The Immaculate Conception

18th / 19th century
Oil on canvas
Museum of the Church of San Paio (St. Pelagius)
Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Traditional features of the Immaculate Conception iconographic type include the background light that renders "clothed with the sun" in Revelation 12:1, the crown of twelve stars, the putti, the hands pressed together, and the blue mantle. But there is no dragon, and instead of a moon Mary stands on a puffy cloud. As usual, there is little or no indication that this is a woman about to give birth.

Read more about the Immaculate Conception.

Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.