1174 - GRAND MADONNA IN POLYCHROMED WOOD - GOTHIC STYLE OF RHINE VALLEY OR CENTRAL EUROPE

GRAND MADONNA IN POLYCHROMED WOOD - GOTHIC STYLE OF RHINE VALLEY OR CENTRAL EUROPE Polychrome wood. 77 x 22 x 14 cm. Good overall condition of the polychromy. Virgin and Child, Germany, Rhine Valley. Carved and polychromed wood. Height: 77 cm - Polychrome wood sculpture carved from a single piece of wood depicting the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child on her left arm. The composition follows the Gothic models developed in the Rhine Valley. The Virgin stands with a slight bend in her body that lends movement and grace to the composition. Her face, with its elongated features and serene expression, displays the idealized characteristics typical of medieval Rhenish sculpture. Her hair falls in long waves over her shoulders, framing a delicate oval face. Polychromy was an essential element of medieval wood sculpture, intended for worship and private devotion or integrated into altarpieces and churches. Due to its stylistic characteristics, the work can be linked to the sculptural production of the Rhine Valley, one of the main centers of European Gothic sculpture, where a refined artistic language developed between the 14th and 15th centuries, characterized by stylized figures, remarkably gentle faces, and meticulous rendering of drapery. The quality of the modeling, the harmony of the proportions, and the preservation of extensive polychromy make this carving a remarkable example of German Gothic sculpture, reflecting the intense Marian devotion that characterized medieval art in the Rhineland. Given its exceptional quality and typology, the style of the piece evokes the Gothic models developed in Central Europe between 1400 and 1450. Provenance: important English private collection, formerly a Belgian private collection. Acquired in the English Antique Market, Wilkinsons Auctioneers, 18th June, 2023, lot 360 "A Fabulous Polychromed Wood Carving of Virgin & Child, Circa 1400, Eastern European, possibly Hungary".