French, Auvergne, second half 12th century

private collection, France;
Sotheby's London, 5 July 2000, lot 8;
private collection, Belgium

The condition is stable with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The sculpture is composed in sections: the throne is composed of two principal sections with separately carved legs; the body of the Virgin is carved separately to the legs and the head detaches (the head is carved in two sections); Christ's head and legs are carved separately and the proper left leg is a little loose. There are original plugs at the legs of the throne. Stable original joints are visible. There is wear to the old polychromy throughout, including some slightly unstable areas of flaking. There is stable splitting to the wood consistent with the material, including: to the Virgin's back; Christ's back; to the throne at the back and in the interior; and to the front of the terrasse. There is non-active worming, notably to the Virgin's proper right side, most visibly to her right arm, hand and leg, where there are losses and splitting; also to where Christ's proper right arm has been lost. There are old glue restorations in this area, notably at Christ's proper right leg and to the Virgin's proper right buttock and underneath the throne. There is a space for a relic in the Virgin's back on the proper left side and there is a painted canvas door.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present statue is part of a famous group of Romanesque Madonnas from the French Massif Central region. They are amongst the earliest sculptures in Western Europe to represent the Sedes Sapientiae (Virgin on the Seat of Holy Wisdom). The Virgin is carved with long fingers in a formal frontal pose, of impressive nobility wearing an elegant intricately pleated robe. She is seated on the Throne of Solomon, holding the Christ Child, who is an upright position and balanced evenly on her knees. The imagery seems to have been inspired by depictions of the Gallo-Roman goddesses that Christianity adopted for the Mother of God.

In France, one of the earliest examples to appear must have been that described in the inventory of the treasury of the cathedral of Clermont at the end of the 10th century. It was commissioned in 946 by Bishop Etienne II of Clermont to store the relics he had collected. It was described as follows: "Ame de bois, recouvertes de feuilles d'or. Respectant des loins de la frontalité, elle est assise sur un trône à arcades comme Jésurasalem soutient la chrétienté. Elle est trône de son fils qui témoigne de la toute Puissance divine en bénissant de sa Main droite aux longs doights." 

This late 12th-century Madonna belongs to a distinct group of seated Virgins from the Cantal region of the Auvergne. The group includes the sculpture known as the Notre-Dame-des-Claviers, another from Puy de Dôme and a third in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 16.32.194a-b). Each of these examples are carved from walnut and are of a similar size of around 75 centimetres high, have a removable head, and a throne which is carved in several sections. Most have a cylindrical cavity in the left shoulder for the safe keeping of relics. Further accounts suggests the statues were carried in processions to give courage to their inhabitants and were occasionally moved from church to church for adoration.

RELATED LITERATURE
I. H. Forsyth, The Throne of Wisdom, Princeton, 1972, p. 172; La Vierge dans la statuaire du Cantal, exh. cat. Amis du patrimoine de Haute-Auvergne, Aurillac-Mauriac-Saint-Flour, 1989; F. Baron, Sculpture française. I. Moyen Âge, cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1996, p. 33; W. Cahn (ed.), Romanesque sculpture in American collections, II. New York and New Jersey, Middle and South Atlantic States, the Midwest, Western and Pacific States, Turnhout, 1999, p. 126, no. 1