A carved oak relief depicting the Virgin and Child. Seated o - Lot 42

A carved oak relief depicting the Virgin and Child. Seated on a high-backed throne adorned with a shell and early Renaissance foliage, Mary offers a bunch of grapes to her Son, who holds a bird by the wings in his hands; the Virgin’s head is encircled by a crown resting on her hair, composed of long, curly locks falling over her shoulders; she is dressed in a gown and a cloak fastened across the chest with laces, one end of which falls over the front of her knees, forming deep, angular folds. Lower Rhine, c. 1530 H. 30 cm (minor chips and wear, minor restorations) This lovely statuette is reminiscent of the style of a sculptor such as Henrik Douverman (Dinslaken, c. 1480 – Kalkar, 1543), who worked in the Cleves region and was a representative of the Late Gothic style in North Rhine-Westphalia. One can thus draw a tentative connection to the masterpiece housed at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, with its “shell-shaped” curls, picturesque details, and broken folds in the clothing (inv. Cl.13236, fig.). Reference: - Aachen Exhibition 1996, Gegen den Strom. Meisterwerke niederrheinischer Skulptur in Zeiten der Reformation (1500–1550), Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, cat. 32, pp. 235–238.