This rare and unusual painting, depicting The Virgin and Child with a Cross, was made in South China in the last decades of the eighteenth century.

Likely commissioned by a Catholic European, it shows the standing figure of the Virgin holding the Christ Child with her right arm and hand, while supporting the base of a cross held by the Child. Partially covered by drapery, He stands naked on top of a table, and, as the Saviour of the World (Salvator Mundi), blesses with his right hand while grasping a cross with his left. Set in a domestic atmosphere, the background features a marbled pilaster on the left and a crimson valance with drapery from above.

In early modern China, a depiction of the Virgin and Child, with Christ as the Saviour of the World would hold profound theological and missionary significance. The cross serves as a prefiguration of the Passion, subtly introducing the salvific narrative of Christ’s sacrifice, a core Christian doctrine, while the blessing gesture reinforces his divine authority. This anticipatory symbol underscores the redemptive purpose of his incarnation. Simultaneously, the Virgin’s presence reflects maternal compassion, resonating with the Chinese reverence for familial piety and making the image a strategic tool for missionaries to convey the universal message of salvation in a culturally relatable manner.

With the exception of the added background elements, which are not merely decorative but also enhance its opulence, this depiction faithfully reproduces [Fig. 1] a large engraving (39.9 x 27.8 cm) by the Italian painter and engraver Giovanni Antonio Faldoni (1689-ca. 1770), active in Venice, based on an original composition by Agostino Masucci (1691-1758), an Italian late-Baroque painter active in Rome.[1] A pupil of Andrea Procaccino (1671-1734) and a member of Carlo Maratta’s (1625-1713) workshop, Masucci worked for the House of Savoy and received commissions from King João V of Portugal (r. 1706-1750). Working for the Portuguese king, Masucci made the models for the three main mosaic panels in the Chapel of St John the Baptist at the Jesuit Church of São Roque in Lisbon, designed by Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773) and Nicola Salvi (1697-1751).[2] Faldoni’s print, which includes the Latin inscription ‘Mater Sanctae Spei’ (‘Mother of Holy Hope’), was published between 1720 and 1768. Although the inscription is absent from this Chinese painting, it further emphasizes the Virgin Mary’s role as a source of hope in salvation, linking her maternal intercession to humanity’s trust in Christ’s redemptive mission.

Sharing almost the same dimensions as its printed model, which facilitated the copying process, the painting departs slightly from the engraving by further covering the Christ Child’s naked body, completely enveloping his thighs, and raising the Virgin’s neckline—both adjustments likely made to preserve a sense of decency. It also omits the Child’s halo.

The Chinese origin of the painting is most evident in the slightly Sinicised facial features of both figures and, more prominently, in the added decorative elements of the Virgin’s attire. These include the gold embroidery on the hems of her blue mantle and pink tunic, which feature stylised lotus flowers, as well as the multi-coloured embroidered floral decoration adorning the crimson valance above. This valance, along with its draped curtains, frames the Virgin on the right side of the composition.

A particularly curious addition is the Virgin’s chequered yellow sash, reminiscent of contemporary chintz. Such decorative details are also seen in contemporary reverse glass paintings produced for European consumers in South China, particularly in Guangzhou (Canton).[3]

An unusual feature of this painting is its support: parchment, a material not traditionally used in Chinese painting. It is true that animal hides, usually from donkey or cow, are used in the making of traditional shadow puppets, which are crafted from the most translucent material, cut, carved, punched, and painted in bright colours, mostly in Shandong, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces.[4] However, these productions are found in northern and central China. This choice of material may reflect an experiment with Western materials and could suggest that the painting was made in a Western-influenced environment.

Hugo Miguel Crespo

[1] An example of this engraving belongs to the British Museum, London (inv. 1871,0429.223).

[2] Carlo Stefano Salerno, “Paintings and mosaics”, in Teresa Leonor M. Vale (ed.), The Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Church of São Roque. The Commission, the Building, the Collections, London - Lisbon, Scala - Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, 2017, pp. 46-65.

[3] For Chinese reverse glass painting, see Thierry Audric, Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820. An Artistic Meeting between China and the West, Bern - New York, Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2020; and Francine Giese, et al. (eds.), China and the West. Reconsidering Chinese Reverse Glass Painting, Berlin, De Gruyter, 2023.

[4] For Chinese shadow puppetry and its materials, see Fan Pen Li Chen, Chinese Shadow Theatre. History, Popular Religion, and Women Warriors, Montreal, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2007.