Our Lady of Perpetual Help Value Guide

This early 20th-century Italian print captures the profound Byzantine iconography of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a devotion popularized globally after Pope Pius IX entrusted the original icon to the Redemptorists in 1866. These specific era-appropriate pieces are highly collectible for their historical connection to the Redemptorist mission and their classic early-1900s craftsmanship.

What affects the value of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?

• The physical condition of the paper print, specifically looking for a lack of water damage, foxing, or significant fading of the pigments.
• The integrity of the original early 20th-century wood frame and the presence of the original protective glass.
• The vibrancy of the gold-tone highlights which are essential to the Byzantine aesthetic of this specific Marian devotion.

How to Identify Our Lady of Perpetual Help?

• Look for the specific 'Made in Italy' or 'Italy' stamp often found on the reverse of the wood frame or the bottom edge of the paper.
• Examine the print for the characteristic Byzantine elements, including the Greek abbreviations for 'Mother of God' and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel holding instruments of the Passion.
• Verify the age by checking for period-correct materials such as wavy antique glass and a solid wood frame with original wire or nail fasteners from the 1900-1920 era.

History of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Byzantine icon from the 13th or 14th century, believed to have originated in Crete. It has been in Rome since the late 15th century and was given to the Redemptorists in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, who charged them with making her known throughout the world. The icon shows Mary, with the Child Jesus, being consoled as he recoils from instruments of his passion, represented by two angels.