Kneeling Virgin

Paolo Aquilano

ca. 1475–1500 · Willow with paint and gilding · The Cloisters

The Virgin kneels and looks down tenderly, indicating that once, an image of the baby Jesus was next to her and that this sculpture may have formed part of a group representing the story of Christmas. The undulating planes of the Virgin’s cheeks are subtly modeled to suggest both supple flesh and underlying bone structure. The combination of certain details—the tight belt cinching the waist, the gathered folds of the skirt, and the sophisticated coiffure with the hairline shaved to produce a high forehead—are typical Renaissance characteristics that contrast with those of the Late Gothic sculptures in this gallery. Its attribution to Paolo Aquilano is based on stylistic affinities with a signed and dated terracotta sculpture in L’Aquila.

Artist

Paolo Aquilano

Date

ca. 1475–1500

Medium

Willow with paint and gilding

Culture

Italian

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1925