Western Europe, probably British, French, or Low Countries, ca. 1400 to 1600 CE. A gorgeous wooden carving of an elite woman wearing a sumptuously-portrayed cape around her simple dress. Her surface is coated with a thin, brown gesso that may once have been a base for brighter pigment. Her cape is depicted as trimmed with some fine material, perhaps fur. She wears a wimple over her hair, a sign of marriage in medieval Europe, which has been carved as one with the cape, giving the back of the sculpture a flowing look. In one hand she holds her cape edge to her stomach, and in the other she holds a small flower to her breast. Atop her wimple is a crown or coronet. This style of headgear was not restricted to royalty at the time; noble women wore them as part of their formal dress, and depictions of the Virgin Mary from this period often show Her wearing one. The woman has been sculpted in one piece atop a tall pedestal that once had letters painted around it - these are not quite visible any longer but seem to be a Latin inscription with a floral border. She may be a santo, carved to be placed in a church, or may also represent a noble woman. Size: 4.4" L x 5.75" W x 23.25" H (11.2 cm x 14.6 cm x 59.1 cm)

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection

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#126970

Inactive insect damage on surface. Small losses to edges, particularly on the sides of the pedestal and one side of the crown. Patina from age and handling.