Virgin and Child
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Virgin and Child” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Closed· opens tomorrow at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
This terracotta is of a woman and child, almost certainly the Virgin and Child. It has very lively modelling and tooling; the incisions made with the stylus are clearly visible.
It is most likely to be a preparatory model for a larger work by the sculptor. It has been attributed to Jean-Guillaume Moitte, a French sculptor and draughtsman who worked in Paris, and it has been specifically and convincingly suggested that this is the model for a stucco figure of the Virgin and Child by Moitte in Senlis Cathedral. This was completed in 1787, providing a terminus ante quem for our terracotta.
On display in the Gilbert Galleries is a design by Moitte for a gilded silver basin, along with the basin which was made by Henri Auguste 1789-90 from Moitte's design. This is a good example of Moitte's work as a designer for silver- and goldsmiths, a significant aspect of his work.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- A.17-1950
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
