Christ Child with an Apple
Michel Erhart
ca. 1470–80 · Willow with original paint and traces of gold · The Cloisters
The engaging curly-haired Christ Child stands with welcoming open arms as he holds a red apple in his right hand. In the late Middle Ages, such images often were the focus of altar decoration at Christmas, and documents reveal that nuns frequently were given such sculptures by their families upon taking monastic vows. The painted flesh tones of this example are extraordinarily well preserved. The sculpture is carved from the same piece of willow; only the green turf on which the figure stands has been largely repainted, and the hair has lost its gilding.
- Artist
- Michel Erhart
- Date
- ca. 1470–80
- Medium
- Willow with original paint and traces of gold
- Culture
- German
- Department
- The Cloisters
- Credit line
- The Cloisters Collection, 2012
