17 - Virgin and Child in bronze with a natural patina, cast hollow. Standing, Mary holds her Son on her right arm; he holds a piece of fruit in his right hand and reaches out with his left hand toward his mother. Mary wears a flowered crown resting on a cushion-shaped headband adorned with leafy scrolls and a short veil with wavy folds. Strands of hair frame her face and emerge from the veil. She has a beautiful, round face with peaceful, gentle features and almond-shaped eyes; the pupil and iris are engraved, her nose is slender, and her mouth is closed. The Virgin is dressed in a gown with deep, vertical folds that are broken at the bottom. A cloak rests on her shoulders, fastened by a diamond-shaped pectoral plate adorned with floral motifs; the panels are held in place at the cuffs, and the edges are highlighted by an engraved band. The molded, faceted base is integral to the sculpture as a whole.

Virgin and Child in bronze with a natural patina, cast hollow. Standing, Mary holds her Son on her right arm; he holds a piece of fruit in his right hand and reaches out with his left hand toward his mother. Mary wears a flowered crown resting on a cushion-shaped headband adorned with leafy scrolls and a short veil with wavy folds. Strands of hair frame her face and emerge from the veil. She has a beautiful, round face with peaceful, gentle features and almond-shaped eyes; the pupil and iris are engraved, her nose is slender, and her mouth is closed. The Virgin is dressed in a gown with deep, vertical folds that are broken at the bottom. A cloak rests on her shoulders, fastened by a diamond-shaped pectoral plate adorned with floral motifs; the panels are held in place at the cuffs, and the edges are highlighted by an engraved band. The molded, faceted base is integral to the sculpture as a whole. Southern Germany, Nuremberg, late 14th / early 15th century H.: 70 cm (minor casting defects and traces of touch-ups) 15,000 / 20,000 Medieval bronzes that have survived to the present day are rare, and this sculpture delicately embodies the Gothic ideals of German art. This fine cast piece originates from the Nuremberg area and southern Germany, on the border with South Tyrol. Nuremberg is well known for its production of bronze and iron. This face can be compared to a fountain head housed at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (inv. Pl. 225) (Fig. 1): the eyes are rendered in the same manner, with a central concave pupil surrounded by a very tapered circle. The undulation of the veil echoes that seen in certain paintings by the Master of Bamberg, for example (Fig. 2), dating from the 1420s. In contrast, the strands of hair are particularly elaborately rendered; each one is not only wavy but also twisted. A metallographic analysis report from the Ciram Laboratory will be provided to the purchaser.