Template:POTD/2018-12-08
The Immaculate Conception is an oil painting by Italian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. One of seven altarpieces commissioned in 1767 by King Charles III of Spain for the Church of Saint Pascual in Aranjuez, it depicts the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and crowned with the circle of stars. She is shown trampling a snake, representing her victory over the devil. The painting's subject is the Immaculate Conception, an idea taught by the Catholic Church stating that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. At the time the painting was commissioned, the Immaculate Conception concept was already common in art despite still being developed by theologians. It was declared a dogma of the Catholic Church in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, with the associated feast celebrated on 8 December. The painting is currently held by the Prado Museum in Madrid.Painting: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo