Female Bust (c. 1470–1500): Art, History and Details

Female Bust (c. 1470–1500) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This female bust is part of a series of three in the museum's collection. The identity of the figures has been speculated by scholars but without resolution. Because this and the other female busts in the series do not retain their attributes, it is difficult to know their original purpose. It is possible that they may have once formed a group of female saints from the predella of a large altarpiece. Since the sculpture is not carved in the round, this hypothesis has merit. Another recent proposal is that this and the other sculptures may be from a series of female busts representing the wise and foolish virgins referenced in Matthew 25:1-13, a parable by Jesus admonishing listeners to be spiritually prepared.

Object facts

• Title: Female Bust
• Date: c. 1470–1500
• Culture: Austria
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: painted and gilded lindenwood
• Dimensions: Overall: 52.7 cm (20 3/4 in.)
• Collection: MED - Gothic
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1971.269

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

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.