This is another one of our favorites of the exquisite Loreto Embroideries, a series of breathtaking embroideries from the early 1900s. The Litany of Loreto dates back to the Middle Ages and includes over 50 titles of Mary. This one, Mater Inviolata, is one of the 12 or 13 that were made into needlework. The original drawings are the work of Italian artist Ezio Anichini, who in 1912 released drawings of 46 of the Loreto titles. His work is Art Noveau in style, precise yet romantic, and emotionally engaging.

It is not known who did the stitching. The embroideries were a gift to an elderly nun, who sent them to the SHCJ Mayfield Convent in Surrey, England, for safekeeping during World War II. They are now held by the Royal School of Needlework in London, regarded as masterpieces of beauty, design, and execution.
(Source: CorneliaConnellyLibrary.org & needlenthread.com)

Original worked mostly in long and short stitch on a rich cream satin background in shades of beige, fawn, and brown silks, as well as white, warmed and enriched with gold threads.

We spent a lot of time restoring this image, removing the flaws from the photograph and lightening it a bit to bring out the richness and contrast of the colors and the precision of the needlework. We look forward to the time when the Royal School of Needlework, who hold and preserve these masterpieces, release perfect photographs of them to a grateful world. Until that time, the restoration work we have performed, not the imperfect source photograph, is copyrighted under U.S. copyright law.

If you love this series as we do, 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.