Virgin and Child with Cradle

ca. 1350–1400

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 306

Here, a rare subject seems to reflect and reinforce fourteenth-century devotional practices encouraging the imitation of Mary, especially among women. Nuns in convents were often given dolls and cradles (one may be seen in the Medieval Sculpture Gallery) designed to help cultivate devotion through enacting a mother's care of the Christ Child and to prompt visionary experiences of personal encounters with him.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Virgin and Child with Cradle
Date: ca. 1350–1400
Geography: Made in Upper Rhineland, Germany
Culture: German
Medium: Elephant ivory, traces of polychromy
Dimensions: Overall: 12 3/8 x 5 1/16 x 3 3/8 in. (31.5 x 12.8 x 8.5 cm)
Classification: Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.190.182
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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