Virgin and Child

Its small size, the richness of its forms and the virtuoso carving all suggest that this figure was made for a collector. The Virgin Mary stands with the infant Christ in her arms. Beneath her feet is a crescent moon. The pose may refer to a passage from the Bible: ‘In heaven, a great portent appeared; a woman that wore the sun for her mantle, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars about her head’(Apocalypse 12: 1-2).

The work of the German sculptor who made the figure, Veit Stoss, received critical acclaim across Europe. The Italian critic Vasari described his work as 'a miracle in wood'.