Our Lady with Child and sheep

1675 - 1700

This image is a profane representation of the Immaculate Conception and the Child Jesus. A sheep and a snake, both animals with a religious and symbolic meaning, were added to the sculpture. The snake is the representation of evil which is trodden underfoot and conquered here by Mary. The sheep or lamb on which Jesus is sitting, represents the Lamb of God, a reference to Christ’s later sacrifice on the cross.

• Actors

  Willemssens, Lodewijk (Attributed to)

• Places and dates

  Antwerp, 1675? - 1700? (Production)

• Materials

  Tourmaline , Alabaster (mineral)

• Category

  Sculpture

• Object number

  S64/1