New art from Daniel Mitsui: Our Lady of Walsingham!

The Catholic sacred artist Daniel Mitsui sent me a beautiful rendering of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The 7″ x 10″ print is ready for ordering HERE.

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Those saint in the corners are Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch and Lawrence of Rome.

From his website:

The print was made on a Heidelberg Windmill press at Rohner Letterpress (Chicago, IL). The printing method involves pressing a piece of paper against a hard plate whose raised surfaces are inked; this is essentially the method invented by Gutenberg that remained dominant until the 20th century. Graphic Chemical & Ink (Villa Park, IL) supplied a traditional printing ink made from linseed oil & furnace black. The paper was handmade from cotton rag pulp at Twinrocker Handmade Papers (Brookston, IN). It is a laid paper, which means that it has a slight ribbed texture, from the wires in the papermaking mould. Laid paper was the only type of paper manufactured in Europe until the mid-18th century.

A few details.

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A squirrel!

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A nice reminder that her shrine is a pilgrimage place.

The Middle English at the bottom is from a 15th c. poem in honor of Our Lady.  You have to go to his site to read that…. yes… just go there.

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I had an earlier version of this, on vellum, but he has a reworked it.  The printing is crisp.  It jumps out at you.  Very nice.  I plan to frame it and give it as a gift to someone who is a convert to Holy Church from Anglicanism.

I wish he’d sent one of the colored versions!  Spiffy!

But the monochrome is still striking.

Also, in Mitsui’s email to me, he mentioned their daughter, Alma, was recently discharged from the hospital.  I think she was in the hospital for quite a while.  I am morally certain that they have a lot of medical bills now.

Therefore buying some of his fine sacred art would benefit you and those to whom you might give it, as well as this family, who are contributing to beauty in the expression of our Catholic identity.

Lot’s of stuff to consider… go have a look!

One piece I saw when rummaging around was a fascinating version of the Battle of Heaven with the archangels as Japanese samurai putting the smack down on Ol’ Scratch.  Very cool.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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13 Comments

  1. StWinefride says:

    Very nice! I have a birthday coming up soon so shall drop a few hints here at home. Walsingham is a very special place. I hope you don’t mind me mentioning this, Fr Z: the 5th Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham is being organised by the UK Latin Mass Society 22-24 August 2014:

    http://www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/2014-walsingham-walking-pilgrimage

  2. iPadre says:

    Beautiful artwork! What a gift.

  3. Anchorite says:

    It looks like the “hard plate” for the print was a commercially made metal plate that copied his earlier drawing (the black lines), which was later printed on a letterpress to have an appearance of a woodcut or wood engraving. I am glad Mitsui found a way to multiply his meticulous drawings other than giclee prints. This looks really professional and handmade. God bless all the hardworking artists!

  4. Venerator Sti Lot says:

    Thank you for showing us this (indeed, these)!

    By way of an additional footnote, the English Wikipedia article on the song quoted, “I syng of a mayden” (as the article title spells it), seems pretty good, with a photo of the original as it uniquely survives in manuscript, and what seems a quotation from it in a sermon, suggesting its wider fame in the day – as well as a list of modern composers who set it (no original music surviving in the MS.).

    The 2 December 2012 post of A Clerk of Oxford on “Some Medieval Annunciations” interestingly commends two such musical settings (one by Gustav Holst, in a 1924 recording!).

    Perhaps listening to a few while browsing or rummaging around Daniel Mitsui’s site would be an enjoyable idea?

    (Incidentally, am I right in thinking the dracoform demons have not been permitted simply to assume the shapes of of benevolent eastern dragons?)

  5. Vecchio di Londra says:

    Brilliant work, and utterly exquisite – a feast for the eyes.

    After centuries of degradation as a forge and a farm building (following the wanton destruction of the entire Abbey in 1538 during the Suppression of the Monasteries) the Slipper Chapel was restored to the Catholic Church in 1896, and became once again a centre of Catholic pilgrimage. There is also an Anglican shrine a little way away, in the village of Little Walsingham, also dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham, and the Anglicans also have devotional processions there carrying the statue of the Mother of God: it is marvellous to see the sweet power with which our Blessed Mother can reach into the hearts even of our separated brethren.
    Btw, the words of that lovely medieval carol have been set by Benjamin Britten (“As dew in Aprille” – No. 5 of his Ceremony of Carols for women’s voices and harp.)

  6. lsclerkin says:

    Mine. Mine and mine.
    And Samurai warrior angels dispatching ol scratch?!
    Ordering.
    Tooootally mine. Thanks Father.

  7. AnAmericanMother says:

    The best setting of the poem is still Benjamin Britten’s from “A Ceremony of Carols”:
    The entire work is here, well sung by the boys’ choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
    It’s all well worth listening to, but “I sing of a maiden” begins at 9:12.

  8. Luvadoxi says:

    Ordered the unicorn one. Hard to choose!

  9. joslire says:

    I am a parishioner at Our Lady of Walsingham Church in Houston. I’ve followed Mitsui for some time and always had an excuse for not buying a print. Excuses ran out today as I could not click order fast enough.

    Thank you for posting this Father.

  10. Gregg the Obscure says:

    I bought four of his prints. Ive given away two and have one over my workplace desk.* The last awaits a worthy recipient. I shall buy more. They are wonderful.

    *ecce quam bonum – a Christian sentiment that doesn’t provoke the usual reaction from the inevitable cranks and that fits the working millieu. Even the cranks are impressed with Mr Mitsui’s artistry.

  11. chen2 says:

    I purchased the Ecce Quam Bonum print not that long ago… It’s my alma mater’s motto. I may have to look into purchasing another print or two.

    Shout out to joslire – I attend a different parish in Houston, but my husband (an Episcopalian) and I have attended Mass at Our Lady of Walsingham on several occasions. It’s a beautiful parish!

  12. Liongules says:

    I own one of his color prints. I am a Knight of Malta and he has a wonderful color print of Blessed David Gonson, an English Knight of Malta and martyr. I had the print framed and it hangs in my office.

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