Enthroned Virgin and Child

Unknown

ca. 1275–1300 · Ivory with original paint · Medieval Art

This monumental ivory carving is one of the largest to survive from the later Middle Ages. Weighing nearly eleven pounds, the sculpture retains much of its original paint. The tender depiction of the infant Jesus touching the chin of the Virgin as she plays with his foot is of Byzantine origin.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1275–1300

Medium

Ivory with original paint

Culture

French

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917