Virgin and Child Enthroned (so-called Golden Madonna)

before 1022

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

One of the oldest three-dimensional sculptures in the medieval Latin West, this shimmering statue is an important early medieval Maestà, or Virgin enthroned with the Christ Child. It was likely commissioned by Bishop Bernward. Cult figures such as this contributed to the veneration of the Virgin. Touched in adoration during liturgical processions, it was also, according to a 1438 cathedral inventory, adorned with more than one hundred brooches, rings, and chains left as votive offerings.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Virgin and Child Enthroned (so-called Golden Madonna)
Date: before 1022
Culture: German (Hildesheim)
Medium: Gold on linden wood core, filigree, and precious and semiprecious stones
Dimensions: Overall: 22 5/16 x 10 1/16 x 9 15/16 in. (56.6 x 25.5 x 25.2 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Gold
Credit Line: Dom-Museum Hildesheim (DS 82)
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters