Madonna and Child

Abstract

This painted wood statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus was made in the early fourteenth century and is currently housed in the Museo Civico in Rieti. The Virgin Mary is quite frontal and regal, wearing a crown and clothing that the surviving bits of paint surface suggests was originally richly ornamented with reds, blues, golds, inset faux gems, and elaborate patterns. Baby Jesus, who seems to be holding a fruit (as he and Mary redeem Adam and Eve's original sin), is also dressed in long robes and does not really have the proportions of an infant, but his pose is more human and casual, his body twisting to lean into his mother's body and his head turning out to devotees, as his right hand reaches up to tug on his mother's veil. This gesture and the proportions and figures of the figures as well as their rich decoration recall Byzantine icons. The sculpture is hollowed behind (to avoid cracking) and appears to have been carved out of a single trunk. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.