Vierge De Berger - Knife Carved Wood - Immaculate Heart - Folk Art - Auvergne

Mid-19ᵉ century

Provenance: Musée de la Vie du Monde Régional - Maison de Sailles.

Rare folk devotional statuette depicting a praying Virgin carved from a single piece of wood. The figure is depicted standing, clad in an ample cloak with wide, drooping sleeves. On the chest appears a heart carved in relief, a symbol of Marian devotion and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This sculpture comes from the Musée de la Vie du Monde Régional de la Maison de Sailles, from which it retains its old inventory number painted beneath the base. It belongs to a group of works traditionally referred to as "Shepherd Virgins", popular productions particularly emblematic of rural Auvergne piety.

According to a long-standing local tradition, these Virgins were carved by a shepherd from the village of Thiers. However, this attribution remains hypothetical. To date, there are no known documents to formally confirm their origin or identify their author with certainty. Nevertheless, this oral tradition remains attached to the history of these sculptures and contributes to their ethnographic interest.

The work displays all the characteristics of a folk sculpture executed with a knife: simplified volumes, faces treated with great economy of means, schematized draperies and general construction favoring spiritual expression over naturalistic research. The eye is immediately drawn to the sobriety of the composition and the evocative power that emanates from this small figure.

Contrary to many domestic religious statuettes, this example shows no preserved traces of polychromy. The wood appears in all its simplicity, enriched by a beautiful dark brown patina acquired over generations. Tool marks still visible in places testify to the blade's direct work on the material.

These popular Virgins were intended for rural interiors, domestic niches or private prayer spaces. Today, they are particularly touching testimonies to popular religiosity in the Massif Central.

Condition : Good condition. Old wear, small chips, traces of old xylophages and chips consistent with the age of the object. Old inventory number preserved under the base. It does not stand alone.

Dimensions: 16 cm.

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