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Virgin and Child

ca. 1270–1300
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 304
Through the course of the thirteenth century, goldsmiths in Limoges increasingly specialized in the creation of gilded copper sculpture—freestanding, as here, or in relief, with enamel used only as a decorative accent. As Queen of Heaven, the Virgin Mary wears a crown (as does the infant Jesus), richly decorated shoes, a cloak engraved with a fur pattern, and a delicate filigree brooch. The inscription across the front of the statuette reads, in translation, “Hail Mary, full of grace.” This is more than a devotional image: with a hinged compartment set in the back of the throne, this Virgin and Child served as a tabernacle to safeguard the host, the wafer
of bread consecrated during the mass as the body of Christ. An enameled image of Saint Peter, holding keys, stands guard at the door.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Virgin and Child
  • Date: ca. 1270–1300
  • Geography: Made in Limoges, France
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Copper: repoussé, engraved, gilt, cut out and nailed; champlevé enamel: lapis and light blue, red; gems; wood core (walnut)
  • Dimensions: Overall: 17 1/16 x 8 x 6 in. (43.4 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm)
  • Classification: Enamels-Champlevé
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.124
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

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Tabernacle of Cherves, Copper (plaques): engraved, scraped, stippled, and gilt; (appliqués): repoussé, chased, engraved, scraped, and gilt; champlevé enamel: medium blue, turquoise, medium green, yellow, red, and white, modern wood mount, French
Tabernacle of Cherves
French
ca. 1220–1230
Chasse of Champagnat, Copper: engraved and gilt; champlevé enamel: blue-black, medium blue, turquoise, green, red, and white, French
Chasse of Champagnat
French
ca. 1150
Reliquary Bust of Saint Yrieix, Silver and gilded silver with rock crystal, gems, and glass, French
Reliquary Bust of Saint Yrieix
French
ca. 1220–40, with later grill
Chasse with the Crucifixion and Christ in Majesty, Copper: engraved, chiseled, stippled, and gilt; champlevé enamel: dark, medium, and light blue; turquoise, dark and light green, yellow, red, and white; wood core, painted red on exterior, French
Chasse with the Crucifixion and Christ in Majesty
French
ca. 1180–90
Virgin and Child, Copper: formed, repoussé, engraved, chased, scraped, and gilt; hands cast; champlevé enamel: dark, medium, and light blue; turquoise, green, yellow, red, and white; glass cabochons; wood core, French
Virgin and Child
French
ca. 1200

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