The Immaculate Conception

About the Art

The subject of this painting is important in Catholic doctrine. It proclaims the Virgin Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin by the grace of God the moment her soul was created. Original sin was not removed from her soul but never entered it, and thus she was specially prepared to be the mother of Christ, whose death on the cross made redemption from sin possible for all.

FEATURED IMAGE
Bartolomé Estéban Murillo (Spanish, 1618–1682), The Immaculate Conception, 1670–1680, oil on canvas, 66 3/8 x 42 7/8 inches (168.5 x 109 cm). Museum purchase with funds provided by Mr. Robert Badenhop, the Anne E. Charch Fund, the William Henry Zwiesler Educational Trust Fund, the Honorable Jefferson Patterson, Mr. and Mrs. Elton F. MacDonald, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Siebenthaler, an anonymous donor in memory of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Chew, Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Simonds, Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Chesterton, Dr. and Mrs. Janusz S. Przemieniecki, and Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Schermer by exchange, 2003.5