English

Enthroned Virgin and Child

ca. 1300
Not on view
Long hidden in private collections, this ivory sculpture is one of the great masterpieces on view at The Cloisters. It belongs to a larger series of European thirteenth- and fourteenth-century, generally small-scale, precious ivory statuettes of the Virgin and Child in seated and standing postures. Most of the series is French, and certainly from the Île-de-France if not from the preeminent center, Paris. All of these statuettes—the rare English examples and the numerous French works—are devotional in nature and date from the height of popularity of the cult of the Virgin.

The Cloisters' Virgin turns slightly to her left to face the blessing Christ Child, who at one time climbed up over her left knee. Only a portion of the toes of the infant Christ's right foot and of his lowered left leg and foot remains. The Virgin's back is carved in low-relief folds, suggesting that this sculpture was not meant to be seen in the round.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Enthroned Virgin and Child
  • Date: ca. 1300
  • Geography: Made in Normandy, France
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Elephant ivory
  • Dimensions: Overall: 10 3/4 x 5 5/16 x 3 3/4in. (27.3 x 13.5 x 9.6cm)
  • Classification: Ivories-Elephant
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.402
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

Audio

Cover Image for 51. Enthroned Virgin and Child

51. Enthroned Virgin and Child

Gallery 14

0:00
0:00

NARRATOR #2 (JANNIE WOLF): This superb ivory statuette of the Virgin and Child was most likely produced in England. It might even have been commissioned by the court of King Edward the First at Westminster. The piece has suffered significant losses, including the Virgin's arms, her throne, and all of the Child, except for vestigial feet. Even so, it retains an elegance and a sense of monumentality despite its actual size. The hole in the Virgin's chest would once have contained an inset jewel or crystal-covered relic, and the statuette would have been enclosed within an ivory or perhaps silver tabernacle. The rich reddish-brown patina may be the result of staining with walnut oil or some other agent. Peter Barnet, Curator in charge of the Department of Medieval Art and the Cloisters. PETER BARNET: This is probably due to either exposure to heat or perhaps even exposure to fire; it’s also possible that an oil such as walnut oil was at one point rubbed into the surface of the ivory to give it a kind of luster or color, in fact even in medieval craftsman’s treatises there is the recommendation that this be done, and it’s possible that that accounts for the color of the ivory we see here although this brown color is quite unusual for medieval ivories.

NARRATOR #2: This Virgin and Child was made for personal devotion, and was intended to give its owners a feeling of personal connection with the Virgin. It was also intended to emphasize the reciprocal tenderness between the Virgin and Child. Look closely at the way the Virgin turns to face the Child climbing over her knee.

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.