The Virgin and Child

This hollow statuette was designed to be viewed from the front only. It has thick walls with two large square holes in the back. These were probably used to fix the figure in its original setting. No one is certain what this was. This Virgin and Child may have been set on a small altarpiece or in a niche. It may have been fixed to a lectern or a large candelabra used at Easter.

The metalworkers of the South Netherlands were active throughout the Middle Ages. The foundries of the Meuse Valley were particularly famous, especially those of Dinant. Brass work became known as 'Dinanderie' as a result of their fame. In the Middle Ages people used the words 'brass' and 'bronze' interchangeably.

The devotional image is typical of the area around Brabant at the end of the 15th century.