The Virgin and Child with Angels

This group of carved figures was probably once part of an altarpiece that stood on or behind the altar in a Christian church. The flowing drapery and the dynamic poses of the two small angels and the infant Jesus, who is holding a pomegranate, all contribute to its vitality.

The group was probably made in the area around the River Danube. The scheme of the drapery, the facial type of the Virgin Mary, and the dynamic composition, seem to be derived from an altarpiece in Mauer near Melk, dated 1509. This suggests that it was probably made by a sculptor in the circle of the Master of Mauer, an anonymous sculptor active in Upper and Lower Austria around the period 1500-1520. The same sculptor may also have executed a Standing Virgin and Child now in the V&A (Museum no. A.13-1960).