Virgin And Child - Chapter 17 Blog

Danielle Vadala
February 2, 2010
Blog Chpt. 17
17-17
VIRGIN AND CHILD

For the first Blog I chose Virgin and Child. It was striking to me. I thought it was a very tall statue. I was wrong. It was made in 1339 out of Silver gilt and enamel. This statue’s height it only 27 inches tall. So it appears to be much taller than it truly is. Now it resides in Musee du Louvre, Paris.

Many medieval artists used the theme Madonna and Child. There are many pieces of Virgin ad Child but this one I liked most. How does their art speak to us on the 21st century?

To me, at first this statute appears to be made out of gold. It is all the same color and is quite striking. The Virgin Mary holds her baby in her left arm and her weight on her left leg, creating the graceful “S” curve pose that became characteristic of the period. The Virgin Mary holds Jesus in her arms and looks into his eyes. This shows the strong bond between a Mother and child.

The very young mother holds joy and sorrow in her arms. She was chosen t have this child and trials of being a mother and what was to come in their future. In the statue the Christ Child is touching his mom’s lips in a very humanlike, real gesture, a hint of realism. The baby is naked, cloaked in the draping robes his mother is wearing. Her simple, fluid drapes wraps herself over the over her head, as a hood and wrap the baby Jesus. The baby also appears to be holding a ball in his hand; maybe the world? The virgin mother holds a scepter in her hand with a large enameled and jeweled fluer-de-lis, the heraldic symbol of French royalty.

Queen Jeanne commissioned the piece to hold a very special Relic, a few strands, of Mary’s hair. Did the queen really think the hair was in there? The Relic is at the top of the scepter. She holds it in her right hand and it hangs down from her hand a couple of inches. The top of it, the Relic looks painted light green enamel. The statue is standing on a small enameled box that has scenes from the Passion of the Christ depicted on it. This is to remind us of the suffering yet to come. An inscription on the base shows the year 1313, and the donor’s name, Queen Jeanne d’Evruex.

In the Catholic faith the theme of the statute is the blessed mother and her child Jesus. And to have a real part of the blessed virgin was extraordinary important to the people who lived in the renaissance; and to people who are faithful today. Even if you are not catholic the idea of mother and baby is a very real and relevant, contemporary theme.

According to the website, Hakia, the base rests on four tiny lions, one on each corner and surrounding the base are niches that frame the scenes. Within the niches are smaller statuettes of prophets that depict scenes of Christ’s Passion. The child, Jesus is portrayed as an ordinary innocent child.

We do not know anything specific about the sculptor but the person must have been pretty important to the queen if she asked him to do this artwork for her.


Sources:
Hakia
Art History, by Marilyn Stokstad