This handsome lithograph of Jesus and the Blessed Mother says, Ave, Gratia Plena at the bottom, which is Latin for, Hail, full of Grace. The baby Jesus holds an orb of the blue world in his hand, and the people are gathered around. looking up to the King and Queen of Heaven, who are in charge of the world.

There is a working man, a bereft woman, an old man, a mother with a babe in arms and a young daughter, and two soldiers. We're not sure of the date of the printing. The soldiers indicate war time, and a worried people entrusting their lives to Jesus and Mary. The uniforms look a little like some of the German WWI uniforms, although they could be earlier, and they could be Italian for all we know. A heavy, beautiful old-style lithograph print would be been somewhat anachronistic in World War I, although they were still used.

We thought that the church in the picture might be named Ave, Gratia Plena, and while there are several beautiful old Romanesque churches of that name in Italy and elsewhere, we could not find one that looked like the one in this picture. These idiosyncrasies suggest it was more of a regional printing for people who would know these references, rather than a huge national or international one. Sorry we can't give you a better historical context. But we've admired this old lithograph for a long time for its beautify and piety, and we spent the better part of a day fixing it up to hopefully help you with your devotions. Blessings.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

– Acid-free paper
– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
– Cardboard backer
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewerly by me, Sue Kouma Johnson, here on Etsy at www.Etsy.com/shop/TreeOfHeaven
Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.” ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – CatholicArtAndJewelry.