Central Rhine Region circa 1430/1440
A Central Rhenish figure of the Virgin and Child, circa 1430/1440
Tuff stone, worked in the round, minor remains of former polychromy. According to tradition, this fine sculpture originates from the surroundings of Andernach in the Middle Rhine. A full-length depiction of the Virgin standing on a flat plinth, dressed in a long robe and carrying the nude Child holding a globe in the crook of her left arm. She is depicted in contrapposto, with her head tilted to the side, her body arched backwards and her pelvis advanced. The figure thus displays a graceful S-shaped curve, a motif originating in the Virgins of the International Gothic. The Virgin is clothed in a high waisted gown, and her features are framed by long curls. Her cloak, fastened with a brooch, is bunched against her body and falls in cascading folds to the side, and its deep and voluminous drapery lends the piece an outstanding sculptural quality.
The Virgin's right hand and the Child's forearm lost. The head and left arm of the Child have been reattached. Wear with minor losses. Height 101 cm.
Provenance
The Gustav Hobraeck collection, Cologne/Neuwied. - The Inamarie and H. G. Klein collection, Cologne.
Literature
Klaus Weschenfelder (ed.): Die Skulpturen vom 12. bis 18. Jahrhundert. Bestandskataloge des Mittelrhein-Museums Koblenz. vol. 3, Koblenz 1993, p. 58-59, nr. 22, illus.
Exhibitions
Previously lent to the Mittelrhein-Museum, Koblenz.