The Virgin and Child

15th century

Paduan 15th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture depicts a central figure representing a woman with a halo, seated and surrounded by four smaller figures which appear to be cherubs or angels. The woman is holding a child who is reclined in her lap. The composition includes three cherubic heads with wings above, creating a stacked layer effect, and another cherubic figure on each side, flanking the central figures. The surface of the sculpture is a deep reddish-brown, suggesting it could be made from carved stone or cast metal with a patinated or aged finish. The relief is detailed, with defined lines and contours offering depth and texture, while the halo around the woman's head suggests religious iconography. The sculpture has a flat appearance, with a hole at the top indicating it could be hung or displayed.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Dark brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 5.2 x 3.8 cm (2 1/16 x 1 1/2 in.) gross weight: 36 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.361


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1945 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931. vol.II, 237.

1951

  • Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 145, as Madonna and Child.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 314.

2006

  • Bergbauer, Bertrand and Catherine Chédeau. Images en relief: La collection de plaquettes du Musée National de la Renaissance. Paris, 2006: 78.

2014

  • Warren, Jeremy. Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture. A Catalogue of the Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Oxford, 2014: 3:918.

Wikidata ID

Q63814780

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