"Seat of Wisdom, Sedes Sapientae". Carved, gilded and polychromed wooden sculpture. Anonymous Castilian. Late 13th century.79 x 31 x 22 cm.
The Virgin with the Child is one of the favorite iconographies of the imagery of the 13th-14th centuries together with that of Christ Crucified. The Cistercian and Premonstratensian convents may have contributed to its diffusion, as well as the Cantigas Order. Despite the remarkable quality of some of these sculptures, in the case of the one we offer, it would have been made by local image makers. It is carved exclusively on its front part, so is hollowed out on the back, forming a wide cavity. A quick glance is enough to verify that it is a remarkably elegant and valuable specimen that, despite the noticeable loss of polychrome in the lower part, does not lose an iota of its charm.
From among the diverse representations of the Virgin Mary, the most typical is that of the Madonna. The Mother of God, who has an extremely elongated canon, perceptible both in the body and in the hands, and whose hip seems to make a slight twist, is sitting on a bench without a back, although with some mouldings on the sides that suggest to us that the passage of time and various interventions have modified its original appearance. She wears pointed shoes, a red tunic, a bluish cloak over her left shoulder furrowed by rigid folds, and a veil that covers her head and serves as a resting place for a very simple royal crown. Her oval face presents fine and noble features, with almond-shaped eyes, arched eyebrows, a closed mouth with slightly carved corners and a sharp nose. With her left hand she supports Jesus to one side, while the right hand is held up with the fingers extended upwards in an attitude of showing an object. Often this object is a flower or a fruit, there may have been an apple in her hand, which connotes the well-known symbolism of her victory over sin and her conversion into the new Eve.
The Child, who rests on her lap, is seated on her left knee, in accordance with one of the most widespread typologies, which, according to Weise, has its origin in the statue of Mary in Vitoria Cathedral, dating from the end of the 13th century. Despite the obvious stiffness and straightness of the Child, and also of the Mother, the fact that he is not placed in the centre of her lap breaks the symmetry. He wears a long tunic that only exposes his head and limbs. In his left hand he seems to carry the orb, a symbol of his power over the world, while with his right hand he gives blessing with stiff and elongated fingers. His blonde hair is styled with small curls.
Although it is difficult to establish a chronology for this type of piece because it may contain a series of archaisms, this Madonna and Child could have been carved in a Castilian workshop at the end of the 13th century.
The left hand is not the original.
We would like to thank Dr. Javier Baladrón, doctor in Art History, for the identification and cataloguing of this work.