Lot 1623 Nα

Normandy around 1400

A carved limestone figure of the Virgin and Child, Normandy, circa 1400

Carved in the round, the reverse slightly flattened and only partially worked. With traces of the original blue and red polychromy. This exceptional figure of the Virgin and Child originates from a workshop in Normandy of the late 14th century. Of finest quality and unusually well preserved, the sculpture is a rare testament to the artistic production of north western France at this time. The work can be compared to another figure of the Virgin and Child that formerly stood in Coutances in Normandy but was destroyed in WWII (see Béranger-Menand, op. cit., with illus.). The almost identical ornamentation of the crown and the similar facial features, as well as drapery of the Virgin's gown, which is directly comparable to that in the Coutances work, the pose of the child and the identical gesture of the mother - pinching the child's right foot between the thumb and index finger of her right hand - indicate with near certainty that both figures were carved in the same workshop and most probably even by the same master.
In very good condition, only minor wear to the reverse and the plinth. 105.5 x 28.7 x 17.8 cm.