Merchant Virgin Mary

nder siege, the inner grounds of Hara Castle, under the sway of Catholic rebel leader Amakusa Shiro¯.

Explosions and flames, arrows and bullets winging over the mounds of the dead and the living. An old man lies in raptures, singing hallelujah at a portrait of the Virgin Mary hanging on the stone wall. Mortally wounded by bullets, he will never stand again. Under the anointing gaze of his white-robed savior, he gives himself unto death...”

I saw this portrait once during a visit to Hara Castle. I can confirm that the person in the painting is in fact not the Virgin Mary but a plain redheaded woman in a white dress, the type who’s fond of roses. Beneath the portrait, there are the words in golden European script:

“Wilhelm Tobacco Company. Amsterdam, Holland.”

Date Unknown