VIRGIN WITH THE CHILD Burgundy, Auxois workshops,... Lot 4

VIRGIN WITH THE CHILD Burgundy, Auxois workshops, circa 1350-1370 Limestone, polychromy Polychromatic alterations, repaired break H. 79 cm, W. 33 cm Provenance Former collection of Pierre and Claude Vérité This Virgin with Child from the second half of the 14th century is striking for its monumental plasticity, characteristic of Burgundian artists. Mary is carrying the Child with opulence, and in an unexpected movement, she spreads the two parallel sides of her mother's cloak. With this gesture, he reveals the richness of the fabrics. Our Virgin, with her fine gemmed crown and her fur-lined cloak, is already the Queen of Heaven. The originality of the iconographic approach identifies our sculptor as an outstanding artistic personality. Our artist magnifies the heavy drapes with flat pleats characteristic of Burgundian workshops. The slightly hollowed pleat on the left thigh emphasizes the retroversion of the pelvis in a posture similar to that of the mourners in the tomb of Otto IV, which was a model for the region (fig. 1). The textured treatment of the fabric and the play of hands add a touch of naturalism that heralds the exalted art of Claus Sluter and his followers (fig. 2).