Standing Virgin (c. 1440–1450): Art, History and Details

Standing Virgin (c. 1440–1450) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Claus de Werve (Netherlandish, 1380–1439).

The work and its context

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

This standing Virgin now lacks the child she once cradled in her left arm. The sculpture may have been damaged in the French Revolution by falling onto its face. It was carved from soft white limestone of a type known to be quarried at Asnières-lès-Dijon, near Champmol. The figure recalls many of the hallmarks of the style of Claus de Werve, a Netherlandish artist active at the court of Burgundy. The Virgin has a sweet, round face that is also smooth and fleshy, her eyelids droop pensively and she is engulfed in rich voluminous draperies that cascade in deep folds. This sculpture should be seen as a charming reflection of de Werve’s many Virgin and Child groups. It was probably carved by a follower closely acquainted with his style.

Object facts

• Title: Standing Virgin
• Date: c. 1440–1450
• Creator attribution: Claus de Werve (Netherlandish, 1380–1439)
• Culture: Netherlands, active Dijon, 15th century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: painted and gilded limestone
• Dimensions: Overall: 104.8 cm (41 1/4 in.)
• Collection: MED - Gothic
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1986.92

Collection credit

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1986.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 2 (February 1987): 38–79.
• Winter, Patrick M. de. “Art from the Duchy of Burgundy.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 10 (December 1987): 406–449.
• Fliegel, Stephen N., Sophie Jugie, and Virginie Barthélémy. Art from the Court of Burgundy: The Patronage of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless 1364-1419 : Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon, May 28-September 15, 2004, the Cleveland Museum of Art, October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005. [Dijon]: Musée des beaux-arts, 2004.

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.