Stella Maris, or Star of the Sea, is a traditional title of Mary. It was used by sailors and their families while the sailors were out on the water. It has come to more generally ge used by anyone who seeks both the protection and guidance of Mary and her Son.

This painting was done about 1890 by Franz Matsch. It shows Jesus blessing the viewer, and hence the world, while Mary bestows special graces from her Son with her outstretched hand to the ship below. The scale of Mary and Jesus to the ship should give us some consolation, because are problems are very small compared to them.

Franz Josef Karl Edler von Matsch (1861-1942) was an Austrian painter and sculptor from Vienna. His art was in the Jugendstil style, which was the Germanic version of Art Nouveau. He was a member of the Maler-Companie with Gustav and Ernst Klimt, and had a long career making art, especially for the Austro-Hungarian empire, occasionally doing Catholic-themed pictures and church decorations. This is one of his most famous pictures. It hangs today in the Austro-Hungarian summer palace called Achilleion, on the Greek island of Corfu, in the Adriatic Sea, where many sailors have prayed to Our Lady, Star of the Sea.

The photograph of it framed is of it hanging in the palace, by Piotrus, who we thank for offering it under Creative Commons licensing.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelr