Virgin

Unknown

ca. 1250 · Sandstone with original paint and gilding · The Cloisters

This sculpture originally stood high on the choir screen of Strasbourg Cathedral. Its place of honor near the center was marked by a canopy with angels holding a crown over the Virgin’s head. A rosebush stood next to Mary and the now-missing Child, linking Mary with Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming of the Messiah: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root." The choir screen was removed in 1682, as part of a wider effort to allow the faithful to see the altar.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1250

Medium

Sandstone with original paint and gilding

Culture

German

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1947