Virgin and Child

This painted and gilded walnut Virgin and Child figure is carved in ca. 1310-1330 in Ile-de-France.

The Virgin is seated on a low bench with the Child Christ on her left knee. She wears a low foliated crown with eight fleurons over a short veil, a belted gown and a mantle drawn across her knees. Christ, dressed in along robe, reaches across the Virgin's chest to grasp her mantle-cord with His right hand.

Details of the style and carving of this figure can be compared to two other Virgin and Child groups in the Louvre, Paris, which are known to have been made in the Ile-de-France in the early 14th century. The present sculpture has suffered extensive damage and some overpainting.