VIRGIN OF CALVARY Burgundy, Dijon, circa 1500 Polychromed... Lot 24

VIRGIN OF CALVARY Burgundy, Dijon, circa 1500 Polychromed walnut H. 96 cm ; W. 34 cm ; D. 20 cm This Virgin crosses her arms against her chest as a sign of affliction. Her very gentle features give her the impression of remembering the Child she once held against her breast and who has just been crucified. Our statue is in fact a Calvary Virgin who was a counterpart to a Saint John the Evangelist, both placed on either side of the Cross. She wears a superimposition of draperies of great refinement. Her forehead concealed by the hooded veil, the delicate gesture of her right hand holding the cloth, her long, slightly bent leg showing through the softness of the cloth, are characteristic of Burgundian sculpture of Slutherian inspiration (fig. 1). She differs from the Virgin of the Louvre by an added solemnity. Her rich mantle, trimmed in gold, blue with a red reverse, forms a protective envelope around her body. The embossed veil, the wide, deep folds of the cloak, and the puffed sleeves tightened at the wrists of the dress, on the other hand, follow the fashion of the 1500s.