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Madonna of the Blood Stain

One of the paintings that hung in the altar was old.  We did not know how old until the fire happened.  It turns out it was painted in 1610.  It was donated to the Church of the Incarnation from the Walker's private collection.  The only mention of it is in a 1916 book of "Alphabetical List of Artists and Paintings in the T.B. Walker Art Collection".  It merely says, "Juan de Ribalta - 1597-1628; Madonna of the Bloodstain - 58x45; From an old Spanish collection."  

It was wonderful to find the artist and other religious commissions he had created.  However, when the restoration began on the painting, there was another surprise.  It turns out, the painting had been damaged at some point in the 1900's and, instead of fixing it, someone painted over the background with an aquamarine sky.  When the restorer began to remove the veneer, he discovered a toe.  It was attached to a leg and that leg was attached to a saint hovering above Mary.  It was a wonderful discovery!  Below are some stills from the process that were shared at the time.

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