Glass Negative with an Image of the Virgin Mary
A mysterious image of Mary can be seen in the exhibition space “The Cuypers Network.” The glass plate is part of a unique collection of glass negatives. This glass negative depicts an image of Mary. Mary points with both hands to a heart on her chest.
You can see that the statue is placed in front of a dark backdrop. In addition, there are many other details visible, such as the pedestal on which the statue stands and other statues in the background. The background was cropped out of the printed photograph, but the glass negative still offers us a unique glimpse into Cuypers’ studio. In the corner is a label that reads: 31/1. This means the negative was stored in box 31. On the inside of the lid of box 31 is a list of descriptions, and under number 1 it says: “Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.” Unfortunately, it does not specify for which church the sculpture was made.
The glass plate is part of a unique collection of glass negatives. A total of 826 glass negatives, originating from Pierre Cuypers’ studio, have been preserved. They depict many works of art, as well as studio photographs and church interiors. They were likely created for inspiration, as visual documentation, or to be printed in catalogs and other promotional materials. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign in 2016, the glass negatives could be cleaned, preserved, restored, and digitized. A publication about this unique collection will be released in 2022.
The glass negative is on display on a light box in the “Cuypers’ Network” room at the Cuypershuis. There, you can see the image as a true “negative.” The photographic print—as a positive—is also visible on the wallpaper in the stairwell! This wallpaper, designed in 2020 by Bureau Caspar Conijn, depicts the many products captured on film in Cuypers’ studio.
