Enthroned Virgin and Child (1225–50): Art, History and Details

Enthroned Virgin and Child (1225–50) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Both the Virgin and the Christ child are lavishly attired. Their mantle hems are engraved to create the illusion of being fur-lined, and turquoise enamel beads create "pearl"-studded decorative bands on the Virgin’s wrist, knee, and crown and on Christ’s collar. The similarity of their garments emphasizes the close relationship between the mother and child and their joint rule over the kingdom of heaven. Once part of a larger ensemble, this relief may have decorated an altar frontal, devotional tabernacle, or reliquary.

Object facts

• Title: Enthroned Virgin and Child
• Date: 1225–50
• Culture: France, Limousin, Limoges, Gothic period, 13th century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: copper: repoussé, gilded, engraved, chased; black glass beads; light turquoise enameled pearls
• Dimensions: Overall: 21.9 x 10.6 x 3.8 cm (8 5/8 x 4 3/16 x 1 1/2 in.)
• Collection: MED - Gothic
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1962.29

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
• Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.