Virgin and Child

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.