European Sculpture and Works of Art
European Sculpture and Works of Art
The Virgin and Child
Lot Closed
July 4, 11:21 AM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
French, Champagne, 16th century
The Virgin and Child
polychromed limestone
53cm., 20 7/8 in.
Leroy recorded several limestone statues of the Virgin and Child, which demonstrate a clear stylistic tradition and iconography of Virgin and Child sculptures originating from 16th-century Champagne, which is entirely consistent with the present statue.
This limestone sculpture is a particularly fine example with well delineated details and elegant proportions. The Virgin has a typical almond-shaped face with small eyes and mouth. Her drapery is heavy, ending in soft folds with a pearled edge and with wide open sleeves. She wears a crown that is inset with fictive stones and comprises fleur-de-lys motifs, which compares to the Virgin and Child in the Church of Saint Laurent in Mesnil-la-Comtesse (op. cit. p.78). The Christ Child holds a bunch of grapes, which parallels a Virgin and Child in the Church of Saint Martin in Romilly-sur-Seine (op. cit. p.81). Her hair is long and curls away from her face, which is consistent with a large Virgin and Child sculpture in the Church of Saint Marcel, Chauffour-les-Bailly (op. cit.).
RELATED LITERATURE
P.E. Leroy, Sculptures en Champagne au XVIe siècle, Dijon, 2009, pp. 78-83