Virgin of Trapani - 15th/16th century

This sculpture reproduces the famous model of the Virgin of Trapani, the original marble version of which, sometimes attributed to Nino Pisano (c. 1315–1368) or his workshop, is kept in the Church of Santissima Annunziata, in the Chapel of the Fishermen, a former Carmelite convent in Trapani, Sicily. A major pilgrimage site, this Marian image enjoyed extraordinary fame from the late Middle Ages onwards, leading to the production of countless replicas and variations, particularly in alabaster, throughout Italy and beyond.

The work presented here is part of this tradition of disseminating the model, while offering a Renaissance interpretation, perceptible in the sobriety of the composition, the idealized softness of the faces, and the ample and architectural treatment of the drapery. Through its material and formal vocabulary, it is linked to 16th-century Italian production intended for private devotion.