Wang 1

Seated Virgin and Child, Visual Analysis

Seated Virgin and Child, which was carved in the middle of the
13th century, depicts a sitting woman holding a child seated on her lap.
The statue is about 9 inches tall, and 3-4 inches wide. Its
accompanying plaque tells us that it is made of ivory, with traces of
polychromy and gilding, though none of these traces can be seen with
the naked eye. No tool marks are visible on the surface of the ivory.
The piece is lighted from a single source directly above it, and can only
be viewed from the front since it is in a glass case. The base of the
piece is circular, and the natural cracks that formed in the ivory as it
aged run lengthwise down the piece. The statue is one continuous
piece of ivory; none of it is affixed by any means.
The Virgin is seated on a backless semicircular chair with a wide
base. She faces almost straight ahead, but her smiling face is turned
slightly downward her empty eyes stare out at an angle, not quite
looking at the child in her lap. She wears a simple belted robe and a
shawl. The fabric of her clothing flows down from her shoulders to her
lap, folding itself into a flat seat for the child, and from there down to
the base of the piece, where it pools around her feet. Only the very
toes of her shoes are visible, peeking out from under the robe. Her hair
is long and curly, and is covered by a piece of cloth which falls in folds
over her shoulders. A jagged crown, with only one possiblyrepresentative square point remaining, sits atop her head.

Wang 2
The Virgins left arm comes down alongside her torso at a gentle
angle, and with her left hand she supports her childs lower back. Her
upper right arm comes down parallel to her left, but her right forearm
has snapped off from what remains of the elbow it seems that the
forearm would have pointed towards the child, though her gesture
cannot be known. Her posture shelters the child in her arms, while at
the same time he sits free of her. He sits upright on his mothers left
knee, supported only gently by her left hand, and looks up and to the
right in profile, a smile on his face. In the crook of his plump left arm,
the child cradles a bird, its head resting in the curled palm of his hand.
Its body is hidden behind his forearm and one wing lies flat against his
chest. This is most likely a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
The childs right arm is raised, with his hand falling just between
his mothers breasts when viewed from the front, though there is in
fact space between his hand and her chest. The middle and index
fingers of this hand point upwards towards the Virgins face, while the
pinky and ring fingers curl perpendicular to these across his palm; his
thumb has snapped off. He wears a sleeveless robe, which covers his
torso and forms angular folds over his bowed legs. His hair is curly like
his mothers, indicating a portrayal of Jesus as Semitic, rather than the
white-washed Jesus of modern Christian art, even though this statue
was found in northern France.

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The majority of the statue is off-white, but the Virgins face, the
sides of her arms, and the part of her robe covering her legs are darker
than the rest of the piece, as are the sides of the childs arms and leg.
These places are reddish, perhaps darkened by oils from worshippers
fingertips the plaque says small figures of the Throne of Wisdom were
often used in private worship in the 13th century, with both mother and
son venerated. Though carved of a rigid material, this statue gives off
an aura of benevolence from the smiling faces and welcoming postures
of the figures. Bringing together the Queen of Heaven, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, this diminutive piece would have been a fitting focal
point for a small private chapel.