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Medieval enthroned Virgin and Child Sedes Sapientiae acephalic granit sculpture

ca 1350

About the Item

They may be damaged and battered, but real historic objects will always give you a sense of awe. Can you sense it, looking at this ancient carved granite which depicts, as it is called, the Seat of Wisdom? The invocation, "Seat of Wisdom" (in latin, Sedes sapientiae) originated in the eleventh century. Many early Christians saw Christ as Wisdom incarnate; therefore, by holding him on her lap, Mary becomes the “seat” of wisdom. The Mother of God may have lost her head but she holds an orb of the earth in her right hand.The Child's hand is raised in a formalised and traditional Eastern blessing. Our Virgin and Child is based on the iconography with Our Lady of Montserrat, a statue dating back at least to the 12th Century venerated at the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery on the Montserrat Mountain in Catalonia, Spain. We can hence imagine what her now absent face looked like, which is wonderful. The connection of the two sculptures is one of chronological and geographical proximity. While our medieval granite Sedes is impossible to date with precision, it dates dates from the 13th-14h Centuries, making it at least approximately 700 years old. It was sculpted in the South East of France, where granite sculptures such as this were conserved in grottos for devotion. Our figure, after centuries outdoors, still has remains of lichen on it.
  • Creation Year:
    ca 1350
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)Width: 6.11 in (15.5 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Norwich, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU991313902122

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