2-742-045 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Standing Virgin, c. 1440-1450. 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.