As a child will sometimes go to their mother first, so the penitent in this image is going to Mary, his Blessed Mother. One of the titles of Mary in the Litany of Loreto is Virgin Most Merciful (Virgo Clemens). As with all the titles in the Litany, this one expresses an aspect of her relationship to us, that she can intervene on our behalf before her Son, who does not deny her. To Jesus through Mary!

Mary's bearing in this representation of her suggests meekness and compassion. "The law of mercy is on her lips" (Proverbs 31). "My heart is like melting wax" (Psalm 21). Mary attends to our human needs, including our need for mercy.

Ezio Anichini illustrated the Litany of Loreto in 1912. His work is Art Noveau, one of our favorite styles. He makes his Litany precise yet romantic, and emotionally engaging. A seamstress, unknown to history, took 12 or 13 of Anichini's pictures and made them into exquisite needlework. They are regarded as masterpieces of beauty, design, and execution.

If you love this series, you can own 8, 9, 10, or all 11 of them at big savings. Go to this link to find out how:

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.