Virgin And Child, Terracotta, Le Mans Workshop, Circa 1580

Our sculpture, the Virgin and Child, is distinguished by a quiet, almost contemplative grace, emanating from the suppleness of its modeling and the restraint of its gestures. The slender silhouette, the drapery enlivened by light folds, and the gentle expression of the face create a tender presence—characteristic of the workshops in Le Mans around 1580, where the late Gothic tradition blends with a more intimate, Renaissance-inspired sensibility. The voluminous veil, the knotted sash, and the delicate way in which the hand supports the Child—even though the Child’s head is now missing—reveal a sculptural approach as attentive to emotion as it is to form. The work thus retains a rare, devotional elegance, imbued with that provincial grace that lends such charm to pieces produced in Le Mans during the late 16th century. As is typical for such works, the sculpture is composed of two elements joined at the waist. An almond-shaped vent hole is present on the reverse. Numerous traces of the gesso, upon which the original polychromy was applied, remain visible here and there.

Provenance : Chapel of the Château de la Rochère in Mulsanne
Height : 96 cm