Enthroned Virgin and Child

Unknown

ca. 1280 · Oak, with paint · Medieval Art

This enthroned Virgin and Child triumphant over two dragons reflects the image from the Book of Psalms (91:13): “Thou shalt walk upon the asp and basilisk and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.” The lively facial expression and the emphasis on heavy drapery forms are characteristics of stone sculpture at the Cathedral of Regensburg, in Bavaria, at the end of the thirteenth century. Recent conservation has revealed the best preserved of several paint layers, dating to the Baroque era.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1280

Medium

Oak, with paint

Culture

German

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916