Holy Cards

by Barbara Calamari, Sandra DiPasqua

Overview

A treasury of the devotional art that has comforted and inspired millions of Catholics—portraying a remarkable gallery of saints.
 
Often used in daily rituals or given out at significant life events such as wakes and funerals, communions and confirmations, the holy card can be appreciated as both a religious tradition and a beautiful work of folk art.
 
This comprehensive volume offers a richly illustrated overview, organized thematically, along with brief biographies and attributes of prophets and angels, disciples and evangelists, hermits and visionaries, martyrs and mystics—in exquisite depictions that run the gamut from dramatic and disturbing to moving and comforting.
 
Including detailed explanations of the often-enigmatic symbolism found in these unique keepsakes, Holy Cards is a compendium that will fascinate anyone who enjoys the artistic beauty for which the Roman Catholic Church is renowned.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613126080
Publisher:	ABRAMS, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	277,878
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Barbara Calamari is a freelance writer who has worked in both film and television. Sandra DiPasqua is a graphic designer and art director. Both authors live in New York City.
 

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

The saints were human beings with human problems.

They had bad marriages, debts, wayward children; they came from all walks of life. Yet through divine grace they were able to overcome their own personal obstacles and transcend the burdens of the material world. To Catholics they are an extended family that serve as a great inspiration in the ability of prayer and faith to change one's life. They have fascinating stories of suffering, failure, and victory, and many of us implore our favorite saints to pray with us and for us. They are not idols with magical powers, but they are mentors with whom we are able to identify. Since great art, architecture, and music are believed to be divinely inspired, visual art is an important element in Catholic religious expression. Frescoes in churches and stained glass windows traditionally served to instruct those who could not read. Images had to be designed to tell a story using objects, symbols, and colors that had their own significance. Many holy cards, besides being a visual physical portrait, also display the elements of a saint's story or patronage.

This book does not contain every saint or every style of holy card. Some of the most popular saints are not here at all and the small amount of information given with each picture is there to help understand the image, not to tell the entire story of the saint's life. There are many obscure saints here who are popular only in a few small towns or in religious communities. We have tried to put in different examples of the type of art available and have divided our chapter sections in a very basic way. Many saints could qualify for placement in several of these divisions. Cards that were created over 100 years ago have a different visual vocabulary than the more recent portrait-style cards. We found that the older cards were created using standard artists' guides compiled in the Middle Ages for saints and their attributes. Having a knowledge of the meanings of the elements in these cards enables the image to be enjoyed on a deeper level. We have compiled lists of these elements, and in the back of this book is a bibliography where more complete lists can be found. We have interspersed cards that were popular a century ago with cards that are mass produced today. Though their artistic styles may vary widely, they have one thing in common: they were never considered precious art objects; they were meant to be carried and casually displayed, much like family photographs.

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Excerpted from "Holy Cards"
by .
Copyright © 2004 Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION, 9,
A BRIEF HISTORY, 11,
PROPHETS & ANGELS, 15,
DISCIPLES & EVANGELISTS, 23,
MARTYRS, 35,
HERMITS, 55,
VISIONARIES & MYSTICS, 65,
RELIGIOUS ORDERS, 85,
MISSIONARIES, 107,
HOLY PEOPLE, 119,
HALOS, 138,
SIGNIFICANCE LISTS, 139,
PICTURE CREDITS & BIBLIOGRAPHY,