French, Burgundy, circa 1425

Prince de Pollignac, Burgundy, France;
Professor Charles Sterling (1901-1991), Launay, France;
Sotheby's Parke Bernet Monaco S.A., Monte Carlo, 14 June 1982, lot 304;
With Achim Moeller, New York;
From whom acquired in 1996

C. Sterling, 'Un nouveau Tableau Bourguignon et les Limbourg', in Studies in Late Medieval and Renaissance Painting in Honour of Millard Meiss, New York, 1977, p.418, fig. 2;
P. Quarré, Claus de Werve et la Sculpture Bourguignonne dans le premier tiers du XVe siècle, exh. cat., Musée de Dijon, Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne, Dijon, 1976, no. 77;
F. Deuchler et al., Burgund: Burgund im Spätmittelalter 12. bis 15. Jh. / La Bourgogne a la fin du Moyen Age, exh. cat., Ingelheim, 1986, no. 48

The present group of the Virgin and Child shows a typical Burgundian silhouette and dress. The round face with fine features and the curved rhythmic folds of the garment are consistent with early 15th century sculpture from this region. The present Virgin shows some similarity to versions of the same subject by Claux de Werve (1380-1439), who was active at the Burgundian court under Philip the Bold. Like de Werve's sculptures, the present group shows deep undercutting, amply folded drapery, and comparable facial features and hands.

The overall composition is elegant and has a sense of calm. The Virgin stands in a natural pose holding Christ in both arms, who clutches the edge of her robe. She stands on an architectural base with a split floral motif at the bottom edge, which indicates that the sculpture was once placed in a niche, probably in a monastery or a church.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. De Winter, 'Art from the Duchy of Burgundy', in The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 74, no. 10, December 1987, pp. 426-430, figs. 36, 43-48