The Morning Virgin
Statuette
ca. 1700 (made)
ca. 1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ivory statuette of the 'Mourning Virgin' is made in about 1700 probably in Spain. At purchase it was attributed to Spain and catalogued as 'La Virgen de los Dolores', but then later thought to be German by Longhurst. The figure must have once been positioned at the foot of a cross. The style of this piece suggests it is more likely to be Spanish. Bought in Paris by John Charles Robinson (1824–1913), who was the 19th-century curator of sculpture. It is largely due to Robinson that the V&A now houses one of the world's foremost collections of Renaissance sculpture. He travelled through Europe during the 1850s and 1860s, pursuing works of art then available on the market as a result of turbulent times in Italy, France and Spain.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Morning Virgin (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ivory |
| Brief description | Statuette, ivory, 'The Mourning Virgin', probably Spanish, ca. 1700 |
| Physical description | This ivory statuette represents the mourning Virgin, who is seated in the attitude of grief in robe and mantle, her hand upon her breast. The back is flat, with a shallow, partly rectangular cavity at the back of the head, probably where the cross would have been fixed from the crucifix group of which this must have formed a part. The base seems to have been sawn or shaved off, and a metal nail inset in the centre also appears to have been shaved flat. Scratches on the underside, as well as a drilled hole, were presumably made for fixing purposes. The right arm is missing from the shoulder, though the hand remains; the left forearm is also missing. The nose is damaged. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | The figure must have once been positioned at the foot of a cross. Formerly catalogued as German, the style of this piece suggests it is more likely to be Spanish. Bought in Paris by John Charles Robinson (1824–1913) in 1863. |
| Production | previously attributed to Germany |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ivory statuette of the 'Mourning Virgin' is made in about 1700 probably in Spain. At purchase it was attributed to Spain and catalogued as 'La Virgen de los Dolores', but then later thought to be German by Longhurst. The figure must have once been positioned at the foot of a cross. The style of this piece suggests it is more likely to be Spanish. Bought in Paris by John Charles Robinson (1824–1913), who was the 19th-century curator of sculpture. It is largely due to Robinson that the V&A now houses one of the world's foremost collections of Renaissance sculpture. He travelled through Europe during the 1850s and 1860s, pursuing works of art then available on the market as a result of turbulent times in Italy, France and Spain. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 174-1864 |
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| Record created | October 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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