Christ thumbnail 1
Christ thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture 1300-1600, Room 27

Christ

Statuette
c.1370-80 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Liège (province) (made)

This carved oak statuette represents Christ crowned and enthroned with an orb on his left knee and his right hand raised in benediction. It accompanies a statuette of the Virgin Mary, whom Christ has just crowned Queen of Heaven. Once thought to be English, this figure has its closest parallel with sculptures produced in the valley of the River Meuse, in present day Belgium. Originally it formed part of an altarpiece and would have been fully painted.


Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Statuette
TitleChrist (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oak
Oak
Carved
Brief description
Statuette (one of a group of six), Christ, carved oak, Liège, ca. 1370-1380
Physical description
Carved oak statuette of Christ, crowned and enthroned, the orb resting on the left knee and the right hand raised in benediction.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.8cm
  • Width: 16.5cm
  • Depth: 11.8cm
Gallery label
The Seated Christ, from a set of Christ and the Apostles About 1350–1400 Southern Netherlands, Liège Oak Formerly in the collection of A.W.N. Pugin Given by Mr W. Maskell Museum no. 411-1889(26/11/2010)
Credit line
Given by Mr W. Maskell
Object history
Given by Mr W. Maskell; formerly in the collection of A.W.N. Pugin.

Historical significance: As simple wood sculptures were relatively inexpensive, they must have existed in large numbers and were no doubt found even in most humble parish churches.
Subject depicted
Jesus Christ
Summary
This carved oak statuette represents Christ crowned and enthroned with an orb on his left knee and his right hand raised in benediction. It accompanies a statuette of the Virgin Mary, whom Christ has just crowned Queen of Heaven. Once thought to be English, this figure has its closest parallel with sculptures produced in the valley of the River Meuse, in present day Belgium. Originally it formed part of an altarpiece and would have been fully painted.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1889. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1890. pp. 42
  • Prior and Gardner. An account of Medieval Figure-Sculpture in England. Cambridge. 1912. pp. 524. fig. 414
  • Williamson, Paul and Evelyn, Peta. Northern Gothic Sculpture 1200-1450. London. Victoria and Albert Museum. 1988. pp. 110, 117
  • Maskell, A. Wood Sculpture. London. 1911. pp. 307-8. pl. XLIX
  • Laat-gobiache beeldsnijkunst mit Limburg en Grensland. Sint- Truiden. 1990.
  • Didier, R. La Sculpture mosane du XIVe siècle. Namur. 1993. pp. 6, 22, 24, 57.
  • Steyaert, J. Laat gotische beeldhounkunst in die Bourgondische Nederlanden. Ghent. 1994. pp. 258. fig. 67.
  • Alexander, Jonathan, and Paul Binski (eds.), Age of Chivalry: Art in Plantagenet England 1200-1400, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1987.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
411-1889

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Record createdOctober 27, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O170637/christ-statuette-unknown/
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