French, probably 14th / 15th century | France, probablement XIVe / XVe siècle

Baron Wendelstadt, by July 1912;

Arnot, 1929 (according to a note in the Friedländer archive at the RKD);

Mrs M.A.T. Slark, United Kingdom;

Her posthumous sale, London, Christie's, 25 June 1948, lot 68 (as Jan Prevost, 'The Madonna, in blue and red robes, nurturing the Infant Saviour'), for £210, to 'Kar';

With Nystad Antiquairs N.V., Lochem, by August 1948;

With Fa. D. Katz, Dieren;

From whom acquired by the grandparents of the deceased collector in 1948;

Thence by descent.

The present pair of fantastical gargoyles represent a dog and a chimera. These dragonesque, expressive animals are typical architectural decorations of French high Gothic churches. Apart from their decorative function, gargoyles were employed to direct water away from the masonry walls of the building.

The beast's feet grasp onto their architectural bases and their necks stretch out. While their snouts are partly broken due to their placement on the outer edges of church façades, this adds to the expressive and grotesque sentiment of the sculptures.