Luigi Crosio's Refugium Peccatorum Madonna print.Help please.

[TheTodds]

I recently acquired an old framed Victorian  print.Today i decided to remove it from the frame to clean the glass as it was really dusty.Behind the Victorian print was this Luigi Crosio's Refugium Peccatorum Madonna print.It looks old and very Fragile.
I tried to do as much research about this print as i could,but all i managed to find was the artist's name,he was from Turin.And that his daughter was the model for this painting.Luigi painted the original in 1898 for the Kuenzil Brothers in Switzerland.
I couldn't find anything about the print,no date and absolutley nothing about any sales.
Does anyone know anything about the print?Any date? what is it's value?
Photo's of print out of the frame.



Writing on the bottom of the print.


Print in the frame.

[snowflake]

I found this information:

"The man who painted the picture Mater Ter Admirabilis (originally entitled Refugium Peccatorum) Luigi Crosio had painted a great deal for the Kuenzil Brothers, not only religious pictures abut also genre images, scenes from operas and so on. The correspondence from that period has as you would expect has not been kept; only those documents relating to the copyright, and declaration of transfer had been kept. From Luigi Crosio there exists a hand written and signed document dated ‘Turin 10th October 1898', by which he relinquished to the Kuenzil Bros the property and reproduction rights relating to the painting Refugium Peccatorium. The painting itself must have then been produced that same year.

The Kuenzil brothers with whom Crosio personally dealt with are long dead. However within the business it was known through word of mouth that the artist had used a daughter as a model for this and other Madonna paintings. I can remember years ago there was copyright claim by an imitator (the copyright claim happened years ago). The imitator, as often happens with such people left it to chance. You had to prove to him that he had copied from Crosio and not the other way round that Crosio had copied from him. The Kuenzil Bros were able to produce family photographs from Crosio which proved that Crosio’s daughter had acted as the model for the Madonna painting. ( I include with this letter an example of another Madonna painting from Crosio which shows the same face as used). Regarding the model for the child Jesus I don’t have any information."

from this site:
http://www.schoenstatt.de/news2005/10/5t1068en-it--mta-crosio.php

You might want to pop over there and have a look. I'll keep searching for more. What a great find!

[Oceans64]

Do you have any info on the queen print? Also, which queen? Since the Refugium Peccatorum print (probably) predates the Queen print, it may give a starting point.  Must agree tho, this print looks pretty old

[snowflake]

Is there any way to get a clearer shot of that thing in the corner? I can't make it out. It does look old. Hope we can find out more about it!

[TheTodds]

The Victorian Queen print that replaced the Refugium Peccatorum one was an 1897 Rembrandt Intaglio print of princess victoria mary of teck (before she became Queen)and her mother.
Hope this helps.

[TheTodds]

Is there any way to get a clearer shot of that thing in the corner? I can't make it out. It does look old. Hope we can find out more about it!

If i can remember right,it was 3 initials. F Z and can't remember the other.I don't really want to take it out of the frame again,as its so fragile its just falling apart.when i took it out earlier i just touched the corner and a small piece just disintergrated.

[Oceans64]

Sadly that didn't help me - lol.  I was hoping for Queen Victoria's coronation or something dating mid century.  Some kind of logic to covering up this print.

I'll keep looking too...

[sapphire]

Just a mishmash of hits and misses that I threw in here as I searched.  Looks as though he worked of the Kuenzli Brothers of Switzerland until 1911 "This company specialised in religious and pious works for printing and distribution." (See second link below).  Still nothing definitive on a date, but the 'made in Switzerland' may connect it to those brothers.

http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/schoen.htm

"From a modern perspective, the sacred picture underwent a series of record sales. In Zürich, on October 10, 1898, the Künzli brothers, printers by trade, bought the rights to the picture and Commercialized it under various versions, among them, a color lithograph. After 1914, students who were preparing for the missions at Schoenstatt sought out, along with their spiritual director, a picture of Mary for the old little shrine of Saint Michael's. It was at that time that a professor belonging to the institute bought one of the lithographs at an antique shop and gave it as a present in the year 1915 to the newly constituted Marian Congregation. It was only upon arriving at Schoenstatt that the picture was bestowed with the title of "Mater ter Admirabilis", Mother Thrice Admirable. "

http://www.russianpaintings.net/artist_museum.vphp?author=934

"Luigi Crosio was born in Alba, Italy in 1835 and died in Turin, 1915. He often painted religious works for the Kuenzli Brothers in Switzerland. This company specialised in religious and pious works for printing and distribution. There was a legal case in the 1890s regarding his painting Refuge of Sinners. This was his most successful image and another artist claimed the copyright for it. However, the Kuenzli Brothers produced photographs that showed the face of the Virgin was based on the face of one of Crosio's daughters. The last work that Crosio is recorded having painted for the Kuenzli Brothers was in 1911."


http://www.schoenstatt.org/en/about-schoenstatt/picture.htm

http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/features/somethingaboutmary/schoenstatt.asp

[TheTodds]

Still nothing definitive on a date, but the 'made in Switzerland' may connect it to those brothers.

It says Printed in Switzerland on the bottom before the Symbol that i'm sure are 3 initials.

[TheTodds]

After a bit more research i came across an artical on Chromolithography.C ould this be a Chromolithograph?

[snowflake]

Is there any way to get a clearer shot of that thing in the corner? I can't make it out. It does look old. Hope we can find out more about it!

If i can remember right,it was 3 initials. F Z and can't remember the other.I don't really want to take it out of the frame again,as its so fragile its just falling apart.when i took it out earlier i just touched the corner and a small piece just disintergrated.

F Z....maybe K Z for the Kuenzil brothers? I'll check around.

[Oceans64]

I have little doubt this is a Kuenzli Brothers lithograph (no proof but little doubt - lol) The fact that it is a lithograph and printed in Switzerland convinces me anyway.  Thanks to Sapphires links, I learned a little more about the "Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt".  It appears this work has become a key symbol of this modern movement.  From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoenstatt_Movement

The 1898 Refugium Peccatorum Madonna‎ by the Italian artist Luigi Crosio was purchased by the Schoenstatt Sisters in Switzerland in 1964 and has since been called the Mother Thrice Admirable Madonna, a key symbol of the Schoenstatt movement.[4][5]"

As far as value...  Haven't a clue. Religious object normally do not sell for much from what I have seen.  Even highly decorative objects older than this. However, since this is a symbol of a modern movement, that could change things - to a select group. I am just guessing here but maybe worth hundreds but I don't think you can retire on it.  Condition always affects value and (as you know) your litho needs some restoration/stabilization.

Disclaimer: I know very little about art so again...  I'm guessing.

The Kuenzil brothers (and various associates) produced many postcard type item that are collectable. Not sure if this would appeal to that group of collectors.  Think it has more value to the Schoenstatt faithful.

Beautiful lithograph!!

[snowflake]

I was just thinking. I know of an Art Auction Company here in Canada who has offered to have a look at ANY of my art might be of help to you.
He's very helpful and was more than willing to give his opinion to me. Maybe you might give him an e-mail and see if he would assist you? He seems to know his stuff.

http://www.levisauctions.com/

[TheTodds]

Thank you Snowflake,i have Emailed him and should hopefully hear something soon.

[snowflake]

I hope he can help you!