Minneapolis Institute of Art

Virgin and Child

France

Date

14th century

Medium

Stone, polychromed

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This tender and playful depiction of the Madonna and Christ Child originally stood at the entrance of a small rural chapel in northern France. When the church was rebuilt in the 1800s, the sculpture was moved to a nearby estate and placed in a garden. Centuries’ exposure to the elements stripped away nearly all the sculpture’s original paint, but some hints of color can still be seen in the gilding of the hair, as well as red and blue pigment in the folds of the robes. Also lost are the glass or semiprecious stone inlays that adorned the crown, sash, and sleeves, which would have undoubtedly glittered beautifully in the sun. Europe

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