Sculpture Of A Holy Virgin In Prayer, Second Half Of The 18th Century

Saint or Virgin in Prayer Anonymous, workshop in Southeastern Europe (probably the Rhine or Alsace region), second half of the 18th century Carved and polychromed wood, remnants of gilding, 52 cm high. This large sculpture, carved from a single block of soft wood, represents a standing female figure, slightly swaying, in an attitude marked by contemplation and grace. The face, elongated and melancholic serenity, is in keeping with the late Baroque tradition in its soft modeling and the naturalistic treatment of the hair falling in soft locks over the shoulders. The body is wrapped in ample drapery whose broken, skillfully rhythmic folds still reveal the memory of the great Baroque style, tempered here by a more provincial sensibility: the artist seems to be seeking devotion more than virtuosity. The polychromy, now very altered, nevertheless preserves precious traces of the original tones – a deep green for the coat, red highlights on the edges, and a light beige for the tunic – which suggest a rich palette, typical of the Rhine workshops of the 18th century. The mutilated hands probably held a symbolic attribute – perhaps a book, a palm or a lily – which allowed to identify more precisely the saint represented. As it is, the figure evokes by its collected attitude and its internalized expression several iconographic types: the Virgin of the Annunciation, Saint Cecilia, or even Saint Catherine of Alexandria, often depicted with a similar softness of features and a comparable movement of the body. The work, despite the loss of material and the lifting of polychromy, retains a strong plastic presence: the monumentality of the drapery, the balance of the composition and the verticality of the body give the figure a certain nobility. These qualities allow it to be linked to the production of a sacred art workshop active in the regions of Alsace, Baden or German-speaking Switzerland, where 18th-century religious sculpture continued the Baroque tradition of the Holy Roman Empire while moving towards a more internalized and devotional language. The state of conservation – old patina, traces of original polychromy, localized wormholes – reinforces the authenticity and charm of this work of popular devotion, an eloquent witness to the vitality of provincial religious sculpture on the eve of the 19th century.