Madonna del Cardellino

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Madonna del Cardellino

About the Item

Oak wood sculpture portraying the Virgin standing, her weight on her left leg, to create a spiral movement with her body. She is wearing a vest closed on the front by a tight line of buttons, with a long cape on her head that goes down draping her shoulders as well, creating movement and a plastic game of draping in the lower part. A little bird is perched on her left hand with his wings spread, while the opposite arm holds Baby Jesus, that supports his Mother's body with the right arm. Both figures have a serious and thoughtful expression on their faces. There are antique traces of polychromy: the cape was originally red, while the insides and the vest underneath it were cerulean blue. The sculpture can be placed in the French area, as demonstrated by the style and the iconography of the piece. The meticulous and peculiar rendering of the fabrics and the light anchement that moves the figure of the Virgin are a derivation of the statuary gothic tradition from France. The iconography is peculiar and reminds of French productions. Even if the representation of the so-called Madonna del Cardellino is recurring and can be found in many Italian pictorial pieces during the centuries, it is more difficult to find in sculpture. One of the few examples realized by an Italian artist, but with a very different solution from our piece, is the Madonna with Child in Throne and two Commissioners, piece by Stefano da Putignano dated 1517 and preserved in the church Madre di San Nicola di Pàtara in Cisternino, where Jesus is focused on playing with a small bird. The goldfinch is a symbol of the Passion, for the characteristic crimson colour that makes its head plumage stand out, which, according to tradition, he got from blood, trying to extract a thorn from the crown on Jesus’ head. For this reason, in the artistic tradition, it is usually depicted as an attribute of Baby Jesus, that holds him close in its arms, as a symbolic premonition of His destiny. Certainly less known and diffused, is the iconography pf the Virgin with Child where the small bird is held not ny the Son, but by the Mother. This kid of depiction seems to reference the late Gothic French production. A stony sample is well known, preserved in the Museo del Bargello in Florence, that can be dated to the second half of the 14th century and can be located in this geographical area. Even if our sculpture is from a later time, it seems to come from a similar cultural and artistic environment, where this iconography was used. Even if the back of the sculpture is refined, the plastic rendering of the draping is duller than in the front. This detail suggests that the original placement wasnear a wall or over a small altar that privileged a frontal fruition.

Dimensions:
Height: 23.43 in (59.5 cm)Width: 10.83 in (27.5 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)
Style:
Other (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Oak,Other
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
16th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1500s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milano, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1721223192602