This magnificent Virgin in Majesty, accompanied by the Infant Jesus, boasts a unique and astonishing iconography. Made from limewood, this sculpture is surprisingly well-preserved, with remnants of polychromy and gilding alongside scraps of fabric that give a glimpse of the marouflage.
A crown is placed on the Virgin’s head, covered by a short veil that exposes her face. The latter shows Marie’s gentle features, and her almond-shaped eyes show the pupil painted black. Her lips, enhanced by a slight red line, are smiling. Her cheeks are full, accentuating her cheerful air. There are a few traces of polychromy on her face, giving the Virgin pink flesh.
She wears long garments with a heavy drape and broken folds that fall to the front of the sculpture. Her right forearm is missing, and there is a hole where the two parts of the arm fit together.
The Virgin is seated on a throne, her Son resting on her left knee. The latter wears the same cheerful expression as his mother. Her curly hair is stiff, her eyes are crinkled and her cheeks are round, making her face puffy. Her small mouth is smiling. The Child is dressed in a simple garment, a long tunic with short sleeves. He sits cross-legged, although his right foot is raised, creating a restless movement of the legs. His right arm is also missing, with the same cavity that holds the forearm. In his left hand, he holds a round object, an orb, symbolizing his temporal dominion over the world.
Baby Jesus is supported by his mother’s left hand, as he leans slightly forward, off-center on his knee. It’s quite likely that Christ’s missing hand is a blessing gesture. The back of the sculpture is hollowed out.
This sculpture corresponds to the Sedes Sapientiae type, meaning “throne of wisdom”, in which the Virgin Mary is enthroned with the Child on her lap, who can be seated or standing. The “wisdom” is that of Christ, and the throne can therefore designate the object or the Virgin, on which the Child is enthroned. This is a more precise expression of the Virgin in Majesty genre, an important iconographic theme in medieval times.
The work is astonishing first for its size, then for the laughing expressions of the two protagonists. Correspondence can be found at the Diocesan Museum in Cremona, Italy. The Sedes Sapientiae in the diocesan museum bears many similarities to our work. Dating from the 14th century, it is attributed to an Umbrian sculptor. The cheerful expressions of the Virgin and Christ, the Child’s posture, the orb He holds in His hand, the heavy folds cascading down the front of the sculpture, Christ’s tunic, are all reasons to believe that the two works are contemporary, created by a sculptor from the Umbria region.
The sculpture is imbued with the sacred hieraticism of the Romanesque Majesty Virgins. This solemn rigidity is countered by the warmth of the faces of the Virgin and Child.