{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1272050"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1272050/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019LH6667/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019LH6667/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2019LH6667","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1272050/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1272050","accessionNumber":"E.997-2012","objectType":"Holy card","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"In art history, a black madonna is a painting or sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary with dark or black skin, created in Europe in the late Medieval period. Some are made of dark or black materials such as ebony, others are said to have become blackened from the soot of candles, although this explanation and the significance of the Virgin's skin colour is contested. There are several hundred black madonnas in Europe and the topic has attracted a considerable  literature in recent decades approaching the subject from anthropological, art historical, feminist, psychoanalytical and Afrocentric  perspectives.\r\n\r\nThe Abbey of Einsiedeln is a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits and located in the village of Einsiedeln twenty miles southeast of Zurich. According to 9th and 14th-century sources, the hermit St Meinrad (d. 861) was especially devoted to the Virgin and was given a miracle-working statue of the Virgin and Child by Abbess Hildegard of Zurich around which he built a chapel. Following his murder, a church was built over this chapel. The new church was dedicated but not the chapel. In 948 Conrad of Constance was praying in the chapel when he witnessed Christ and the  angels performing the dedication rites. A papal bull of 11th November 966 allowed the celebration of the anniversary of this miracle and granted remission of sins to pilgrims to the shrine. This holy card would have been published for sale to pilgrims as a souvenir of the shrine. ","physicalDescription":"Rectangular card (portrait format) with lace-paper edge. Front: black & white engraving of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, lettered below the image in  German and French with caption and publisher's details printed in black, lace-paper border. Back: lettered with prayer in French printed in black.","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Benziger & Co.","id":"AUTH333596"},"association":{"text":"Printed and published","id":"x38483"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"}],"techniques":[{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT53225"},{"text":"lithography","id":"AAT53271"},{"text":"letterpress","id":"AAT178926"},{"text":"embossing","id":"AAT53826"},{"text":"piercing","id":"AAT231153"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Steel engraving and letterpress, possibly lithographically reproduced, embossing, piercing and die cutting","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2019LH6667"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":"Black Madonna Topic Box"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"prints","id":"AAT41273"}],[{"text":"holy cards","id":"THES396290"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Einsiedeln","id":"x46820"},"association":{"text":"Printed and published","id":"x35383"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1870-1900","earliest":"1870-01-01","latest":"1900-12-31"},"association":{"text":"Printed and published","id":"x35383"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Tim Travis in memory of Leslie Travis","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"11.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"7.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"358. Eigenthum u. Verlag von Gebr. C. u N. Benziger in Einsiedeln.\r\nMaria = Einsindeln\r\nNOTRE-DAME DES ERMITES.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Lettered in black, below the image"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Souvenir of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, Switzerland, late 19th century.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"Our Lady of Einsiedeln","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"The Virgin Mary","id":"N16161"},{"text":"Jesus Christ","id":"N1515"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"Black Madonnas","id":"THES282271"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.997-2012"],"accessionNumberNum":"997","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":2012,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2013-09-05","availableToBook":false}}