11
15th-Century French Oak Sculpture of the Madonna & Child
Estimate:
$2,000 - $3,000
Sold
$3,900
Live Auction
Sacred Statues: Gothic to Baroque 14th-17th C
Description
This 15th-century polychrome Madonna and Child is a significant example of religious sculpture from the Rouen School, an influential center of artistic production in Normandy, France, between the late 14th and early 16th centuries. The Rouen School emerged as a key regional style in ecclesiastical sculpture, blending elements of the French High Gothic tradition with the increasing realism characteristic of the early Northern Renaissance.
Hand-carved in oak, this sculpture presents the Madonna standing in a contrapposto pose, gently cradling the Christ Child. The Virgin is crowned, signifying her role as Queen of Heaven, and wears a voluminous robe, with traces of its original polychrome and gilding still visible. The drapery is carved in a soft, flowing manner, with deep folds that cascade naturally-an aesthetic evolution from the rigid, columnar representations of the earlier Romanesque period toward the more expressive style favored in the late Gothic era.
The Rouen School flourished particularly between 1400 and 1530, reaching its height in the mid-to-late 15th century, when it produced religious sculptures for cathedrals, churches, and private devotion. Artists in Rouen were heavily influenced by the Parisian court style, particularly the elegant forms found in the workshops of �le-de-France, as well as the Netherlandish tradition, which introduced a greater sense of naturalism and human emotion. This synthesis of French Gothic ornamentation and Flemish realism is evident in the facial structure and tender gestures of the figures in this piece.
Notably, the hollowed reverse of the sculpture, a technique used to reduce weight and prevent cracking, aligns with the common practices of 15th-century French workshops. The delicate paint layers, though worn, reveal an original palette of reds, blues, and golds, which were intended to emphasize the divine nature of the figures.
The Rouen School was a dominant force in Normandy's religious art production, working extensively in wood and stone for both large-scale cathedral commissions and smaller devotional pieces. Rouen's location as a major trade hub allowed for artistic cross-pollination with Flanders and the Burgundian Netherlands, seen in the increased attention to expressive realism in its sculpture. By the late 15th century, workshops in Rouen were producing figures that displayed a shift toward Renaissance ideals, particularly in the handling of fabric and the softening of facial features.
This piece embodies these transitions: while it retains the elongated proportions and elegance of Gothic sculpture, the attention to the naturalism of the Christ Child suggests the influence of early Netherlandish devotional imagery, which was making its way into French religious art at the time.
Artist: French (Rouen) School
Issued: c. 1500
Dimensions: 16"L x 7.50"W x 46"H
Country of Origin: France
Provenance: John and Johanna Bass Collection, New York, NY; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL, 1963.
Hand-carved in oak, this sculpture presents the Madonna standing in a contrapposto pose, gently cradling the Christ Child. The Virgin is crowned, signifying her role as Queen of Heaven, and wears a voluminous robe, with traces of its original polychrome and gilding still visible. The drapery is carved in a soft, flowing manner, with deep folds that cascade naturally-an aesthetic evolution from the rigid, columnar representations of the earlier Romanesque period toward the more expressive style favored in the late Gothic era.
The Rouen School flourished particularly between 1400 and 1530, reaching its height in the mid-to-late 15th century, when it produced religious sculptures for cathedrals, churches, and private devotion. Artists in Rouen were heavily influenced by the Parisian court style, particularly the elegant forms found in the workshops of �le-de-France, as well as the Netherlandish tradition, which introduced a greater sense of naturalism and human emotion. This synthesis of French Gothic ornamentation and Flemish realism is evident in the facial structure and tender gestures of the figures in this piece.
Notably, the hollowed reverse of the sculpture, a technique used to reduce weight and prevent cracking, aligns with the common practices of 15th-century French workshops. The delicate paint layers, though worn, reveal an original palette of reds, blues, and golds, which were intended to emphasize the divine nature of the figures.
The Rouen School was a dominant force in Normandy's religious art production, working extensively in wood and stone for both large-scale cathedral commissions and smaller devotional pieces. Rouen's location as a major trade hub allowed for artistic cross-pollination with Flanders and the Burgundian Netherlands, seen in the increased attention to expressive realism in its sculpture. By the late 15th century, workshops in Rouen were producing figures that displayed a shift toward Renaissance ideals, particularly in the handling of fabric and the softening of facial features.
This piece embodies these transitions: while it retains the elongated proportions and elegance of Gothic sculpture, the attention to the naturalism of the Christ Child suggests the influence of early Netherlandish devotional imagery, which was making its way into French religious art at the time.
Artist: French (Rouen) School
Issued: c. 1500
Dimensions: 16"L x 7.50"W x 46"H
Country of Origin: France
Provenance: John and Johanna Bass Collection, New York, NY; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL, 1963.
Condition
Age related wear. Exposed rods underneath base, hallow back. Left hand missing on virgin and both arms on Jesus.