The Virgin and Child thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Virgin and Child

Statue
ca. 1400 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This statue of carved wood representing the Virgin and Child is made by an unknown artist in Florence in ca. 1400.

The Virgin stands supporting the Child on her left arm and holding His foot with her right hand. He holds out a bird in His left hand, and looks round over His shoulder.

The thirteenth century saw the development of the cult of the Virgin which had grown up in the previous century. The Hours of the Virgin were now recited daily and many tracts were written upon her virtues and her symbolic status.

Images of the Virgin and Child were found in virtually every noble household in 15th-century Florence. They acted as a focus for personal devotion and were thought to protect the family from harm.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Statue the Virgin and Child
  • Bag of Fragments
TitleThe Virgin and Child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved walnut wood
Brief description
Statue in walnut, The Virgin and Child, by an unknown artist, Italy (Florence), about 1400
Physical description
Statue in wood. She stands supporting the Child on her left arm and holding His foot with her right hand. He holds out a bird in His left hand, and looks round over His shoulder.
Dimensions
  • Height: 128cm
Object history
Acquired in Florence
Subjects depicted
Summary
This statue of carved wood representing the Virgin and Child is made by an unknown artist in Florence in ca. 1400.

The Virgin stands supporting the Child on her left arm and holding His foot with her right hand. He holds out a bird in His left hand, and looks round over His shoulder.

The thirteenth century saw the development of the cult of the Virgin which had grown up in the previous century. The Hours of the Virgin were now recited daily and many tracts were written upon her virtues and her symbolic status.

Images of the Virgin and Child were found in virtually every noble household in 15th-century Florence. They acted as a focus for personal devotion and were thought to protect the family from harm.
Bibliographic references
  • Schlegel, Ursula. "Eine Neue Madonnenstatue aus dem alten Bestand der Berliner Museen". In: Festschrift für Peter Metz. Berlin, 1965, pp. 204-213, illustrated Plate 4
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1859. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 44
  • Carli, Enzo. La Scultura Lignea Italiana. Milan, 1960, p. 64
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 11
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, pp. 42, 43
Collection
Accession number
5892-1859

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Record createdAugust 20, 2008
Record URL
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