Virgin and Child thumbnail 1
Virgin and Child thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Virgin and Child

Statue
ca. 1305 (sculpted), ca. 1888 (cast)
Artist/Maker
Pisano, Giovanni (sculptor)
Place of origin
Padua (sculpted)
Berlin (cast)

Plaster Cast of the Virgin and Child, after the marble original on the alter in the Scrovegni Chapel in S. Maria dell'Arena, Padua. The cast is signed 'DEO GRATIAS OPVS IOHIS MAGISTRI NICOLI DE PISIS' ('By the Grace of God, the work of Giovanni the son of Master Nicolo from Pisa').

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Religion
Christianity
Object type
Statue
TitleVirgin and Child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster Cast, painted plaster.
Plaster
Casting
Brief description
Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the original, marble Virgin and Child in the Scrovegni Chapel, in the church of Santa Maria dell'Arena, Padua, by Giovanni Pisano, Padua, in about 1305. Probably cast in Berlin, Germany, in about 1888.
Physical description
Plaster Cast of the Virgin and Child, after the marble original on the alter in the Scrovegni Chapel in S. Maria dell'Arena, Padua. The cast is signed 'DEO GRATIAS OPVS IOHIS MAGISTRI NICOLI DE PISIS' ('By the Grace of God, the work of Giovanni the son of Master Nicolo from Pisa').
Dimensions
  • Height: 132cm
  • Width: 43.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
Signed 'DEO GRATIAS OPVS IOHIS MAGISTRI NICOLI DE PISIS'
Translation
'By the Grace of God, the work of Giovanni the son of Master Nicolo from Pisa'.
Gallery label
(2014)
This cast shows a graceful sculpture of the Virgin and Child from a chapel in Padua that is better known for the frescoes there painted by Giotto. The sculpture was made by one of the painter's contemporaries, Giovanni Pisano. The cast was produced using a mould made up of various pieces. The lines on the surface show how the mould fitted together.
Object history
Acquired as an exchange with the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin for £4 10s (90 marks)
Historical context
Signed DEO GRATIAS OPVS IOHIS MAGISTRI NICOLI DE PISIS (By the Grace of God, the work of Giovanni the son of Master Nicolo from Pisa). The Scrovegni chapel is the funerary chapel of Enrico Scrovegni, a wealthy merchant banker of Padua. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid in 1303 and in 1305 the chapel was consecrated. Between 1303 and 1312/13 Giotto decorated the Scrovegni chapel with frescoes depicting scenes from the New Testament. Giovanni Pisano's Virgin and Child stands on the altar, between two angels from the workshop of this sculptor.
Subjects depicted
Figures (Representations)
Crowns
The Virgin Mary
Jesus Christ
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1888-517

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Record createdJune 28, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O40950/virgin-and-child-statue-pisano-giovanni/
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