Madonna and Child

PROVENANCE
Private collection | Oud-Turnhout | Belgium

REFERENCE LITERATURE
Bouvy, D. (1962). Beeldhouwkunst: Aartsbisschoppelijk Museum Utrecht. The Hague, cat. nr. 171
Van Vlierden, M. (2004). Hout- en steensculptuur van Museum Catharijneconvent ca. 1200-1600. Zwolle/Utrecht, pp. 116-117

CATALOGUE NOTE
The Madonna stands upright with her left foot extended. She is dressed in a long robe and a cloak, which is held together at the neck by a cord attached to a quatrefoil rosette. Around her waist she wears a belt with hanging ribbons in the front. She holds up the cloak under both her arms which falls down in front of her body in wide, irregular triangle folds. She originally wore a crown on her loose hair that falls over her shoulders and back. The Madonna carries the naked Child on her right arm and tenderly supports his right foot with her left hand. The child sits cross-legged turned to the left and looks up at his mother. He plays with the cord of the cloak. This charming and playful detail is a rare iconographic element.

This refined and remarkably well-preserved sculpture bears resemblance to a number of Madonna and Child sculptures that were made in the Northern Netherlands at the end of the 15th century. In particular with the Madonna and Child on the Crescent Moon, also made in the North of the Netherlands around 1480 and kept in the collection of Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht (inv. no. ABM bh263). The exact place of origin of this Madonna is also unknown. Bouvy (1962, cat. no. 171) catalogued the sculpture as originating from Gelderen in the North-Eastern Netherlands. The facial type with its broad nose and the rendering of Maria’s hair with a bow at the level of her eyes indicate East Netherlandish influences. Compared to other Madonna-sculptures, however, Leeuwenberg saw some Utrecht characteristics. Typical in this respect is the way in which Mary holds the Child’s foot (Van Vlierden, 2004, p. 117). The present sculpture also displays a certain playfulness in and intimacy that could indicate influences from the Utrecht region. Although the exact centre is difficult to determine with certainty, this Madonna and Child is a fine and rare example of late medieval sculpture from the Northern Netherlands.