Museum – Bessans – Rare Articulated Figurine Of A Wet Nurse With A Cradle – Folk Art – Toy

Late 19th century – early 20th century
Bessans, France

A rare and very charming carved and polychrome wooden statuette depicting a woman from Bessans in traditional dress, holding a cradle containing a swaddled child in her arms.

This sculpture is part of the famous folk art tradition of Bessans, a village in Haute-Maurienne, Savoie, which was particularly renowned in the 18th and 19th centuries for its woodcarvers and makers of religious images. These artisans developed a style of statuary that is instantly recognizable, blending religious subjects, secular figures, and depictions of everyday Alpine life.

The woman is depicted standing, wearing the traditional Bessans headdress and a costume in shades of green, red, and black. The deliberately stylized treatment of the face, hands, and forms is characteristic of this Savoyard folk art.

The figure has the remarkable feature of articulated arms, allowing the cradle she holds in front of her to move. The cradle, entirely carved and polychromed, holds her swaddled infant and is decorated with painted floral motifs. The ends of the cradle are mounted on curved crossbars that resemble skids.

The entire piece rests on a rectangular base painted green.

This depiction of a mother or wet nurse carrying a child in a cradle offers a particularly evocative glimpse into domestic life and the traditions of the Haute-Maurienne region. It is fully in keeping with the tradition of Bessan figurines depicting the village’s inhabitants in their traditional costumes and daily activities.

The sculpture shows several visible signs of past repairs and restorations, particularly at the joints and in the polychromy, consistent with its nature as an old folk artifact that has likely been handled over time. Nevertheless, it retains a very beautiful presence as well as a particularly decorative polychromy.

An old handwritten label affixed beneath the cradle bears the inscription “BOUFFARD.”

Carved, stuccoed, and polychromed wood.
Articulated arms.
Antique polychromy with signs of wear. Slight damage to one corner of the cradle.

Comparative bibliography:
Michèle Pachoud-Chevrier, Bessans, a Village of Sculptors: The Devil and God in Folk Art.

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