This Anima Sola—or Lonely Soul, a traditional part of catholic iconography—stands naked, wrapped in a blanket of fire. She does not look as if she were in pain, but rather as if waiting for the prayers of the faithful to break her chain bracelet. Only then will she be saved from purgatory—the temporary place of suffering where all but the most devout must cleanse their impurities—and be welcomed to heaven. Traditionally, the Anima Sola looks towards heaven as her ultimate destination, but with this statue she looks straight at us as if to make a personal appeal: I'm here, I’m waiting, don’t forget about me. This perhaps is meant to encourage prayer, as some Catholics believe that the prayers of the faithful can help speed a soul’s time in purgatory.

Although the tradition of the Anima Sola tradition originated in the Roman Catholic Church, some folk interpretations report that it was unrequited love that brought Anima Sola to her predicament, and that she can only be liberated by only the desperate love of another who invokes her in their love spell, pledging to replace her when it is their time to die.

12” X 3” X 3”