Medieval Stone Virgin and Child

Loire Valley, France, circa 1500 A.D. A stone statue depicting the Virgin Mary seated with the (now acephalous) infant Christ seated on her proper right knee, the boy assisting his mother to hold open the pages of a book, likely the Bible, to a specific page, his right hand tenderly supporting her extended left hand from below, carved in the round with naturalistic anatomical detailing to each figure and their garments; the later replacement crown has been removed; traces of polychrome pigment. Cf. for examples the sculpture of the Virgin with child of late century 15th century A.D in Wixom, W., The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Medieval Sculpture at the cloisters, Volume XLVI, no.3, New York, 1988/89, pp.5-6; Forsyth, W., The Pieta in French Late Gothic Sculpture: Regional Variations,New York, 1995; Fogg, S., 30 Heads, stone heads from the 12th to the 15th century, London, 2018, pp.86ff. 112 kg, 80 cm high (31 1/2 in.). with Christie's, France, 8 November 2013, lot 36. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no 11539-196243. The Virgin and Child represent one of the most frequent subjects in the Gothic medieval sculpture, due to the development of the cult of the Virgin and the increase in the veneration of Mary. These carvings were not limited to churches, but were also found in shrines, entrances to towns, and inside private chapels. The long wavy hair, the rounded forehead, the almond-shaped eyes and the delicate smile are widespread stylistic features found in several regions among Germany and France (in particular Lorraine, Burgundy, Île-de-France, Loire Valley, Bourbonnais, Meuse Valley). [No Reserve] [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website.]