AN UNKNOWN DEVOTION: THE HISTORY OF OUR LADY OF BRAZIL AND HER REPRESENTATION IN A PLASTER SCULTURE FROM ESMU-UEMG

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to deepen the knowledge of a rare polychrome plaster
sculpture of Our Lady of Brazil that currently belongs to the School of Music of the State
University of Minas Gerais (ESMU-UEMG). To achieve this proposal, the origin of devotion
to Our Lady of Brazil and its history will be presented. We also tried to present the reader with
some main representations of this devotion, which is still little known and represented in Brazil.
In addition, in order to understand the context of production and commercialization of plaster
images in the country, the main resellers or producers of images in the early twentieth century
are presented. Finally, the sculpture of Nossa Senhora do Brazil is identified, which, regrettably,
is presented to the reader after an act of vandalism that occurred at the end of 2019: the front
part of the image was partially painted with red spray paint. The academic community to which
the work belongs contacted the author and requested its restoration. The work is described and
analyzed formally and iconographically. The knowledge raised in this article will be
fundamental for a forthcoming publication on the materials, construction techniques and state
of conservation of the work, which will result in a proposal for intervention and restoration of
the sculpture.