Pedro Pablo Rinaldi Jovet
Puerto Rican, born 1940
Our Lady of the Purification / Virgen de la Candelaria, 2000
Polychromed wood
12 ¾ x 4 3/8 x 3 9/16 inches
Lent from a private Florida collection

The theme of Our Lady of the Purification originated in the sixteenth century with the miraculous appearance of the Virgin to two shepherds on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Her attributes are the Christ Child and a candle—a reference to ancient Hebrew purification rituals following the birth of a male child. She is the patron saint of the towns Coamo, Lajas, Manatí and Mayagüez where her feast day is celebrated on February 2.