Wooden Sculpture "Female Figure, " Late 15th Century

Pair of engraved metal sculptures depicting two mythological birds, traceable to the French sphere and datable to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The two sculptures are almost identical, distinguished by minor differences, such as the position of the legs; the most striking feature, however, lies in the metal chrome plating in that one sculpture...

Painting done in oil on canvas applied to panel by Venetian painter Carlo Cherubini (Ancona 1897-1978 Venice) around the 1950s. The work in questi...

Set of four sculptures depicting small birds resting on top of a rectangular base, made of alabaster with brown quartz eyes. Their manufacture c...

hree-drawer box with closing panel of Chinese ambit, datable to the late 1800s. The box is made of lacquered wood, on all sides there are plant and floral decorations, having as sub...

The sculpture in question, representing a boy with drape, is the work of Augusto Murer cast in 75 pieces, of which this is No. 58/75. Made of bronze in 1980 and in excellent condit...

Oil-on-canvas painting by Venetian painter Carlo CHERUBINI (Anona 1897-1978 Venice) made around the 1950s. The work in question presents a seated fe...

A wooden female figure. India, 19th century. The character portrayed standing, with his feet together on a small rectangular base, dressed in a wide ...

Wooden sculpture depicting a female figure, 17th century. Dimensions: 14x18x72 cm

15th century Spanish Gothic Virgin and child polychrome figurative wooden sculpture.

15th century Gothic Virgin Gothic Virgin of the 15th century Virgin in carved and polychrome wood of the 15th century. In its original state, muse...

While the birth of Christ is briefly told in the Gospel of Luke (2, 7) it is in the apocryphal texts that we find most of the elements and details that have then inspired artists. As of the 14th century and even more of the 15th century the subject of the Adoration of the Child replaces in Western art the scene of the Birth, much favoured in Byzantine art. Instead of being depicted lying with the new-born swathed in the manger, the Virgin is now kneeling, her hands joined in prayer in front of the naked child. This change was probably hastened by the popularity of the visions of Saint Bridget of Sweden to whom the Virgin allegedly appeared to show how she had given birth to Jesus (Visions, VII, chap. 21). Sheltered by a thatch-roofed structure the Virgin is kneeling in front of the Child Jesus. She wears a magnificent red dress under a large gold cloak. Her curled blond hair is partially veiled. The newborn is lying on a straw mat. Joseph is depicted with a parted beard and stands opposite from the Virgin. He wears a tunic and a coat with a purse hanging from the belt. His costume reminds us of the long journey him and Mary have accomplished to reach Bethlehem. Two other women are present. One is looking through the stable’s window to observe the Holy Family while another one kneels in prayer in front of the divine child. The rich costume of the lady might indicate she is a donator. However they could also both represent the women who took part in the birth of Christ, Zelemi and Salome. Salome, incredulous did not believe in the virginal conception of Mary and she is represented far from the scene. The artist has depicted her with an expression of doubt on her face. Zelemi, on the contrary, is a believer. She is rewarded by a place of honour at the heart of the scene, close to Mary. To the left the donkey and ox that have accompanied Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem observe quietly the scene. On the foreground two angels hold a scroll reading an excerpt from the Gloria : “/Gloria/ in excelsis /Deo/.” One of the angels wears a blue cape while the other’s is red Those two colours are very significant as during Middle-Ages blue symbolises hope and red charity. Together they express the hope in redemption thanks to the advent of Christ and his sacrifice to come. Above the main scene, up a cliff, a small shepherd lets his herd of sheep graze amidst the trees. He is framed by two walled cities. This wood carving is the work of a very skilled and inventive artist. The piece bears witness to his exceptional talent. The realism of the scene is emphasised by the amount of details depicted. The refinement of the carving itself is highlighted by the well preserved polychromy. This key moment of the New Testament is set in a contemporary context thanks to the clothes of the characters and the scenes of rural life. The universal dimension of the scene is intensified while allowing contemporary viewers to grasp its meaning more easily. This care for details, the picturesque realism as well as the extraordinary rendition of the cloths suggest it was made by a Flemish artist during the late 15th century. This relief can be compared with the panel of the Nativity from the Saint-Vaast altarpiece made by Jacques Daret between 1433 and 1435, today in Madrid’s Thyssen-Bronemisza Museum. Literature Louis Réau, Iconographie de l’Art chrétien...

Pair of praying angels is an original decorative object realized in the second half of the 15th century by North Italian or French manufacturing. Thes...