Frank Duveneck, American, 1848–1919, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, 1864, Oil on canvas, 38 x 24 in., Saint Vincent Archabbey Collection. Photo: Richard Stoner.
As one of the most influential American artists of the second half of the 19th century, Frank Duveneck received his formative artistic training from an ecclesiastical furnishings workshop sponsored by Saint Vincent. Br. Cosmas Wolf, OSB, (1821–1894) was the lead designer, sculptor, and architect for the Catholic Altar Building Stock Company of Covington, Kentucky (also known as the Institute for Catholic Art)–an atelier focused on creating church interiors, primarily in a Neo-Gothic style. Noting his creative capacity, Br. Cosmas took Duveneck on as an apprentice in 1862, placing him first under the tutelage of artist Johann Schmitt (1825–1898) and later, Wilhelm Lamprecht (1838–1922). Over the eight years he served as an apprentice, Duveneck assisted with several commissions the Company received for churches throughout the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Canada.
Executed when the artist was just fifteen years old, this juvenilia work relies on conventional imagery associated with the Virgin Mary under the title of Immaculate Conception. The painting includes elements from the Book of Revelation’s description of the Woman of the Apocalypse as well as a lily symbolizing purity. In 1864, a decade after Pope Pius IX declared as official dogma that Mary was conceived completely absent of sin, Duveneck executed this work, possibly while visiting Saint Vincent. Duveneck’s choice of subject was a popular patronage for the construction of churches in the United States– particularity among immigrant communities seeking to identify themselves with Rome. The work serves as a reminder of the determinative connection between a Benedictine of Saint Vincent and the development of a celebrated American artist.
Executed when the artist was just fifteen years old, this juvenilia work relies on conventional imagery associated with the Virgin Mary under the title of Immaculate Conception. The painting includes elements from the Book of Revelation’s description of the Woman of the Apocalypse as well as a lily symbolizing purity. In 1864, a decade after Pope Pius IX declared as official dogma that Mary was conceived completely absent of sin, Duveneck executed this work, possibly while visiting Saint Vincent. Duveneck’s choice of subject was a popular patronage for the construction of churches in the United States– particularity among immigrant communities seeking to identify themselves with Rome. The work serves as a reminder of the determinative connection between a Benedictine of Saint Vincent and the development of a celebrated American artist.
