A Marian type in which the Virgin spreads her mantle protectively over kneeling groups of the faithful, clergy, confraternities, or patrons.
The Virgin of Mercy, or Madonna della Misericordia, shows Mary opening her mantle to shelter kneeling people beneath it. The protected figures may represent clergy, laypeople, confraternities, patrons, or an entire community.
Etymology
Also called Madonna della Misericordia; Italian misericordia means “mercy.”
Sculptor Notes
The mantle becomes architecture. Its outer contour must both frame the subsidiary figures and preserve Mary's own figure within the larger silhouette. The best versions make protection physically legible through enclosure.
References
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/764092; https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-cult-of-the-virgin-mary-in-the-middle-ages