“M” is for the million things she gave me,

Mom. Artists of every sort have always found her fair game. There’ve been moms in song (“My Mammy”). Moms in story (“Mommie Dearest”). Moms on stage (“Mamma Mia!”), on screen (“I Remember Mama”), and on television (“My Mother, The Car”). Of course, some depictions were more successful (and more flattering) than others.

“O” means only that she’s growing old,

Over the years however, the most time-honored and heartwarming representation has been the Madonna. With or without the Christ Child in tow, the image of Mary was a particular favorite of artists during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Since no contemporary illustrations existed, each artist envisioned the Madonna according to his or her own imagination, incorporating individual concepts of motherhood, and prevailing artistic trends of the time.

“T” is for the tears were shed to save me,

Twentieth-century artisans were also inspired by the Madonna concept. During the 1940s and ‘50s, almost every well-known ceramics firm included a Madonna figurine in its inventory, (although many remained on store shelves). As Reuben Sand, founder of Madison’s Ceramic Arts Studio later recalled, “we just did not do well with the religious stuff. Except ‘St. Francis’. He was always a good seller.”

Nowadays, collectors are drawn to ceramic Madonnas for their innate beauty, and their endless variations on a single theme, as interpreted by a wide variety of artists. Compare a glamorous Betty Lou Nichols Madonna, for instance, with an abstract by Howard Pierce. Both approach their subject from widely different perspectives, yet both offer valid interpretations, spotlighting each artist’s individual technique and style.

“H” is for her heart of purest gold,

Heading the roster of desirable mid-century Madonnas are four by Ceramic Arts Studio, each vastly different, and each by principal designer Betty Harrington. “Madonna with Halo,” dating from the early 1940s, is a traditional, popular-religious-art depiction: the Madonna with folded hands and downcast eyes, in robes of pristine white, or royal blue and red. 1950’s “Our Lady of Fatima” was based on descriptions of a religious vision, while 1953’s ethereal “Madonna with Child” uses swirling lines to great effect. The final CAS Madonna, 1955’s Madonna with Bible, is also the simplest, with incised lines and a sandstone glaze. That starkly modern look was more than just a design choice: in the waning days of the Studio, a figurine which did not require decoration by hand was much less costly to produce.

Ceramic Arts Studio was noted for its attention to detail. To ensure accuracy, Betty Harrington always presented her religious designs to the nuns at a nearby convent. With their seal of approval, the figurine was a “go.”