Franco-Netherlandish, active Paris(?), 15th century / c. 1400
Enthroned Virgin with the Writing Christ Child
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Enthroned Virgin with the Writing Christ Child as sculpture (Franco-Netherlandish, active Paris(?), 15th century · c. 1400).
Here the Virgin is sitting on a highly decorated pillow.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as limestone with polychromy and gilding.
The museum's collection notes: This sculpture belongs to a tradition of seated Virgins that were prominent in Netherlandish art in the decades around 1400, and by extension may be associated with the Valois courts at Paris, Dijon, and Bourges. The theme of the Christ child who writes into an open book or onto a vellum banderole emerged during the third quarter of the 14th century and had great appeal among ecclesiastical and aristocratic clients. It undoubtedly refers to the educating and nurturing role of the mother in teaching the child, but also to the future position of the adult Christ as author and teacher. The small scale of this sculpture and the fact that its back
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtEnthroned Virgin with the Writing Christ ChildOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.