Madonna in prayer

Abstract

This under life-sized wood sculpture must have originally been a part of a larger work. It is in high relief, with a flat back, and so was probably a central part of a sculpted altarpiece. Mary, shown wearing the remains of a crown and praying, likely originally had a sculpture of Baby Jesus on her lap, and so is shown in adoration. (The glass eyes, which look more outward than directly down, were probably added in the eighteenth century.) Another possibility is that the original scene was the Coronation of the Virgin, though in such narratives the Virgin generally bows more deeply. The figure has lost most of the crown and parts of the lower hem, and parts of the delicate fingers had to be restored. There are abrasions on the surface, but polychromy and gilding survives on the flesh and clothing, the latter resplendent in gold leaf and imported and precious red lake as a lining to the cloak. The neckline of Mary's dress is decorated with sgraffito lettering, made by painting over gold leaf and then scratching back into the paint to reveal parts of the gold below, spelling ""Ave Maria"" (Hail Mary, in Latin). While the garments, crown, and materials used denote Mary's status as Queen of Heaven, her gesture is all humility: shoulders and neck bowed forward and hands raised in supplication. Likewise Mary's beauty (ivory and roses complexion, oval face, arched brows, rosebud lips, broad and high forehead, etc.) is matched by her modesty, as an abundance of drapery covers her hair and body completely, cascading over her tightly closed legs and pooling on the floor. These photographs were taken when the work was in an exhibition at the Palazzo Lanfranchi in Matera in 2019. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.