Statue of the Virgin and Child in the Cloisters, October 2009

Virgin and Child
Lindenwood with paint and gilding
Austria, Salzburg, about 1420

Accession Number: 65.215.2

The ample robes and golden crown of the Virgin Mary give her a regal appearance; her full, round face and neck show her as the healthy young mother of a robust baby boy. This type of sculpture, known as a Beautiful Madonna (Schone Madonna), was very popular in central Europe around 1400. Created in stone, wood, or sometimes precious metal, images of the Beautiful Madonna range from over life-size to tiny statuettes. Examples can still be found in churches from Poland to North Italy, and as far west as the Rhineland.

Text from the Cloisters label.