This polychrome and gilded wood statue represents a standing Virgin, her arms bent at the elbows and her palms together as a sign of reverence. Her head is slightly bowed, her right foot slightly in-front of the left bearing most of her weight, with the left leg bent at the knee (contrapposto). From her shoulders on up she has been painted white, the color of both her face and of her closely wrapped headscarf which covers all of her hair, her ears, and shoulders. Her solemn face has been detailed, her downward glance, long slender nose, and closed lips. Below her headscarf, her dark red undergarment and gold cape, edged with blue, falls in gentle folds to the ground, only the toes of her dark shoes peeking out below. She stands on a small, black circular support.
German, Swabia
Virgin,
about 1480
Polychromed and gilded lindenwood
,
50.8 cm (20 in.)
Object details
Accession number
S28e29
Primary Creator
German, Swabia
Full title
Virgin
Creation Date
about 1480
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by 1903.
Dimensions
50.8 cm (20 in.)
Display Media
Polychromed and gilded lindenwood
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Chapel
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 258. (as Bavarian, early 16th century)
Anneliese Harding. German Sculpture in New England Museums (Boston, 1972), p. 83. (as South German, end of the 15th century)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), p. 176, no. 240. (as Swabian, about 1480)
Rights and reproductions
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.