A rare small recumbent figure of a young abbot, carved in hi - Lot 23

A rare small recumbent figure of a young abbot, carved in high relief from wood and finished with a patina. Lying on a woven straw mat, one end of which is shaped like a pillow, the young cleric is beardless, with a tonsured head, and a maniple on his left forearm; he is dressed in an alb with a notched collar and a slit on the side; the legs are in an asymmetrical position, the left slightly bent, the right foot turned inward. Burgundy?, 15th century H. 15 cm - W. 45 cm - D. 17 cm (minor and age-related losses) Provenance: - In the same family for three generations, this small recumbent figure was believed to originate from Burgundy. The term "straw mat" was used by researcher Cécile Treffort in her article "The Furniture of Death: Funeral Bed, Coffin, and Straw Mat." This practice during the burial of bodies is mentioned in several post-mortem inventories; it is also illustrated in Books of Hours such as that of Duke Philipp Eberhard of Cleves, 1480 (Austrian National Library in Vienna, fig. a) or on funerary monuments, notably the tomb of Bishop Adrien Hénéncourt, 1527–1530, located in Amiens Cathedral (fig. b). This straw bed here expresses the desire for humility of the figure depicted, likely a clergyman, abbot, or prior of an abbey or community. The slight tilt of the sculpture suggests that this small wooden recumbent figure was intended to be viewed, perhaps in a niche or an altarpiece. Reference: - D. Alexandre-Bidon and C. Treffort, eds., "Les meubles de la mort: lit funéraire, cercueil et natte de paille" in A réveiller les morts, Lyon, 1993, pp. 207–223.