Early 15th Century - France Or Northern Italy - Terracotta - Enthroned Madonna With Child

An exceptional terracotta sculpture (thermoluminescence report by Dr. Fulvio Fantino) depicting the Madonna and Child Enthroned. The two subjects, with their highly distinctive features and period clothing, especially the upper part of the Virgin's dress, form a distinctive iconography. The Child holds an apple, the fruit of original sin, and the Madonna holds a cherry, a metaphor for the Passion of Christ and therefore for redemption. Highly allusive and rich in meaning, this symbolism is part of a composition with a distinctive aesthetic: one need only observe the period's typical clothing, especially the upper part of Mary's, but also the remarkably ostentatious aristocratic hairdo. Thus, the depth and mystery of this refined Christological allusion coexist within a sculpture that nods to the most avant-garde fashions of the time, where more worldly attributes and characteristics began to appear even within religious depictions. The throne, with its typically Gothic, cusped shape, plastically encloses the figures, creating a rigid, formal space within which they sit with composure.
The draperies are also consistent with our dating, with the detail of the foot resting on the suppedaneum enlivening the Madonna's almost hieratic composure. Therefore, a Gothic setting, upon which some hints of innovation can be discerned, primarily in the hairstyles and clothing. With undoubtedly aristocratic patrons, in this phase, especially in Northern Italy and the Alps, the Gothic style persists, but increasingly leaves room for that airiness, affectation, and typically courtly aesthetic, which can be felt in a sculpture that combines the two aspects without one overwhelming the other.
Sacred sculpture and art in the broadest sense coexist, and nothing is missing in this splendid example, where the sweetness of the Mother, the regality of the Queen, and the fashion of an early fifteenth-century woman are seamless. Even more so, the Child, dressed and styled like a pageboy, blesses with his right hand and holds the apple with his left, in a composed and childlike pose befitting the Son of God, but with a different attire and hairstyle. The details of the buttons on the Madonna's robe are splendid, a true artistic touch and an important historical testimony. Our sculpture presents itself with excellent artistic quality, rare and masterful iconography, profound and rare meaning, in excellent condition and with no deficiencies other than the polychromy, which is only slightly damaged.

Dimensions: 24.5 x 18 x 60 cm (9.5 x 7.1 x 24.5 inches).