Liturgical After Rome’s Madonna del Popolo Large Madonna & Child Icon Oil Portrait

After Rome’s Madonna del Popolo — Otto Paulus (1931) Large Madonna & Child Icon | Oil on Plastered Hessian | Signed & Dated | Original Primitive Gilt Frame

Subject & Medium

A sacred devotional portrait of the Virgin Mary (Madonna) with the Christ Child, conceived in an icon-inspired manner that immediately conveys sanctity and veneration ✝️.

Medium: Oil on plastered hessian—a textured, object-like support that enhances the historic devotional character and gives the surface an appealing, time-worn presence 🎨.

Composition & Technique

The Madonna is presented with calm, frontal dignity, holding the Christ Child against a luminous gold field ✨. Both figures are encircled by clear halo rings, the classic visual grammar of sacred portraiture 🕊️.

Rather than pursuing deep perspective, the painting is designed for devotional impact: stillness, clarity, and “presence” are the priorities. The brushwork is disciplined and controlled, with confident contouring and restrained modelling that lend the faces and drapery quiet gravity. The plastered hessian support contributes a subtle surface texture that reads as closer to a devotional object than a modern decorative canvas.

About the Image / Sitter

The Madonna and Child is among the most enduring images in Christian art because it holds multiple layers of meaning: maternal tenderness, protection, intercession, and the mystery of the Incarnation 🙏. Mary is shown as Our Lady—a figure revered across the Catholic world and, in a related tradition, venerated as Mother of God in the Orthodox sphere.

The Christ Child, haloed and solemn beyond his years, conveys sacred authority; the presence of a book reinforces the traditional association with divine wisdom and teaching ✝️📖.

Historical Significance

This work is presented after the historically venerated “Madonna del Popolo” icon associated with Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, where tradition and art history place a Marian icon on the high altar and link it with centuries of popular devotion and pilgrimage ⛪✨.

For buyers, that Roman anchor matters: it positions the painting not merely as a generic Madonna, but as a conscious homage to a celebrated and enduring Marian shrine tradition.

About the Artist

Otto Paulus appears here as an early 20th-century European-school painter working in a devotional idiom. In 1931—an era when much of the art world was turning toward modernism—this painting stands as a deliberate continuation of sacred tradition: icon-derived stillness, symbolic gold space, and an emphasis on devotional legibility.

Signed

🖋️ Clearly signed and dated on the front: “Otto Paulus 1931” (visible inscription).

Framed

Presented in a fine original primitive gilt plaster frame ✨, which complements the gold-ground icon character and adds immediate wall authority. The reverse retains a metal hanging bracket and hanging thread, allowing for straightforward display 🔩🧵.

Dimensions (Framed)

📏 55 cm wide × 79 cm high × 4 cm deep

A major point of rarity is the scale. Many icons and devotional panels are modest, designed for small prayer corners. At nearly 80 cm high, this is a true statement devotional picture—visually commanding, room-defining, and ideal for collectors who want presence rather than a small cabinet piece 🖼️⭐.

Provenance

✅ Known / Stated

• Private collection (undisclosed), prior to entering the trade.

• Currently offered by: Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD 🇬🇧

• Attribution anchor: signed and dated “Otto Paulus 1931” on the front 🖋️

📌 “After Madonna del Popolo”
Presented as a devotional homage after the Madonna del Popolo icon tradition of Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

Collecting Context (Notable Precedent)

🏛️ Notable collectors who have championed icon and Byzantine devotional art
This category of sacred, icon-linked art has been collected at the highest levels. In the United States, major early tastemakers included J. Pierpont Morgan, whose collecting materially raised the profile of Byzantine art, and Henry Walters, who took an early interest in Byzantine art and formed what became one of America’s leading Byzantine collections. Walters Art Museum Online.

Why You’ll Love It ✅

✅ A specific Roman devotional identity, not a generic Madonna — the “Madonna del Popolo” link gives the painting a named shrine tradition with deep cultural recognition, which reads exceptionally well to high-end Catholic buyers.

✅ Statement scale (rare for icon-type works) — at 79 cm high, it carries the authority of an altar-like wall piece, ideal for collectors who want impact and presence rather than a small cabinet icon.

✅ Icon authority with atmospheric surface character — gold ground, halos, stillness, and the tactile plastered-hessian support create the “devotional object” quality collectors pay for, especially when displayed under warm light.

✅ Signed and dated certainty (1931) — a firm attribution anchor that supports buyer confidence, documentation, and long-term marketability 🖋️.

✅ A collecting category with blue-chip precedent — icon and Byzantine devotional art has been pursued by major collectors and institutions, strengthening the broader credibility of the genre in serious collections.

Condition Report

Offered in fine used condition, with age-related features consistent with a period devotional work: noticeable staining, craquelure to the painted surface, restoration paint touch-ups in places, foxing, and various wear/scuffs/chips to the frame commensurate with age. Overall, it remains stable, displayable, and visually strong, with honest patina that supports its antique character 🕯️