MADONNINA
Paula Chamlee

Hardbound, 10 " x 9" 96 pages
50 black-and-white illustrations
2004, Lodima Press
Forward by Steven Maklansky
Essay by Giuliana Bianchi Caleri

From the Publisher:
While photographing throughout Tuscany in 2000 and 2001, Paula Chamlee found herself drawn to the great beauty, variety, and extraordinary craftsmanship of the Madonnina shrines that can be found everywhere in Tuscany. Throughout the countryside and in towns and villages, these lovingly crafted personal shrines to the Virgin Mary bear witness to a deep-seated and popular faith in the Holy Virgin and the humanity she embodies. With a tradition dating back to antiquity, these cultural and religious objects continue to be created even today as protection for personal property, homes and their inhabitants. Whether sophisticated or primitive in design, the shrines represent a spirit of devotion expressed quietly and simply. They hold profound significance for a great number of the Italian people.

Although they can easily be overlooked by the casual traveler, these small shrines are readily found along roadsides, among fields, at intersections and property lines, set in the walls of houses and barns, and even in the woods as well as other unusual locations. Chamlee discovered one in the midst of a marble quarry beside a busy pathway cleared for giant marble-moving machines.

Paula Chamlee’s sensitive portrayal of Le Madonnine in their variety and beauty are complemented by an informative essay by the Italian scholar Giuliana Bianchi Caleri, who writes about the history and tradition of the Madonna shrines in Italy. In a foreword, photography curator Steven Maklansky draws insightful connections between photography, religion, and Chamlee’s intimate visual records of one of the most widely recognized of all religious icons.

The superb reproductions of the photographs, in 600-line screen quadtone, printed on heavy cover stock, are at the limits of what is technically possible in photographic reproduction.

About the Authors:
Paula Chamlee has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe making her photographs. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, and her photographs have been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions. Her photographs are in over a score of museum collections, including those of the Library of Congress, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas (Austin), and in numerous private collections in the United States and abroad. Her monographs include Natural Connections: Photographs by Paula Chamlee (1994), High Plains Farm (1996), and San Francisco: Twenty Corner Markets and One in the Middle of the Block (1997). Also published in 2004 is another book of her photographs, Tuscany: Wandering the Back Roads, Volume I of a two-volume set of books. She lives in the country in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, the photographer Michael A. Smith.

Giuliana Bianchi Caleri was born in Cortona, Italy, where she lives today. Having obtained her degree from the University of Perugia, she taught literature for many years, and currently serves as the director of the High School system "Berrettini-Pancrazi." Her historical research on local culture led to publications in volumes such as Parlando di Cortona (About Cortona) and La Val d'Esse di Cortona (The Val d'Esse of Cortona). Her iconographical research led to the publication by the Accademia Etrusca of the volume I Tabernacoli di Cortona e del suo Territorio (The Tabernacles of Cortona and its Territories).

Stephen Maklansky is Assistant Director for Art and Curator of Photographs at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Signed, numbered, slipcased and custom-bound, the Special Limited Edition comes with your choice of any photograph in the book for a price substantially less than a print alone would cost. Since the prints from Madonnina currently sell for $750, the Special Limited Edition pre-publication price represents an exceptional value.

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