Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


    • Enthroned Virgin and Child
    French; Made in Burgundy
    Birch with paint

    H. 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm)
    The Cloisters Collection, 1947 (47.101.15)

    This type of sculpture, with the Christ Child seated in the Virgin's lap in a frontal pose, is known as a Sedes Sapientiae (Throne of Wisdom). These seemingly straightforward images convey complex theological ideas. Mary, the bearer of God, serves as Christ's throne. Like his ancestors King David and King Solomon, he possesses wisdom and justice. Christ holds a Bible, the divine wisdom that he himself embodies.

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    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Wixom, William D. "Medieval Sculpture: At The Cloisters." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 46, no. 3 (Winter, 1988–89).
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  • Enthroned Virgin and Child
    French; Made in Burgundy
    Birch with paint

    H. 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm)
    The Cloisters Collection, 1947 (47.101.15)