Gothic Virgin and Child - Eastern France. Mid-14th century.

Carved in the round from walnut, this work relates to the output of workshops in eastern France in the mid-14th century. Standing with a slight contrapposto, the Virgin carries the Child seated on her left arm. She wears a gown and a mantle whose edge is brought forward across the front, and a tall fleuroned crown set over a short veil that reveals softly wavy hair. Her fairly frontal stance is balanced by the Child, who grasps the edge of his mother’s veil with his right hand. Her elegant silhouette fully belongs to the Rayonnant “courtly style”, while moving beyond the sometimes abstract preciosity of Île-de-France models to assert a plastic density and vigor characteristic of Lorraine sculpture.

The sculpture shows a strong Francilien influence—one may compare it in particular with the Virgins of Bornel or Varennes-sur-Seine—yet reinterpreted with regional energy. Profile views reveal a highly nervous handling of the lateral falls of drapery, where folds are stacked in superposed beaks and deep channels with sharp ridges. The line synthesizes Parisian models and Lorraine prototypes such as the Virgin from the cloister of Saint-Dié Cathedral or the Virgin and Child of Châtenois, from which it differs by greater lightness and a more elegant, less massive character. The Virgin’s face, with its shield-shaped oval, is typical of productions from the Metz or Toul area. It is distinguished by a high, domed forehead and almond-shaped eyes drawn out toward the temples. The expression—serene, grave, and introspective—is emphasized by a small mouth with a slightly full lower lip, departing from the stereotyped Champagne smile. The face nevertheless remains narrower than that of the most characteristic Lorraine examples, suggesting the Barrois, at the crossroads of Parisian and Lorraine influences.
This work is accompanied by a certificate from Edouard Bresset dated 1980.
Full dossier available on request.
References consulted:
·Medieval Sculpture in Private Collections, Jacqueline Liévaux-Boccador & Edouard Bresset, 1972.
·Remarks on the Virgin and Child in 14th-Century French Sculpture, Jean Wirth, 2025.
·Gothic Sculpture in Lorraine and its Relations with Neighboring Regions, J.A. Schmoll gen. Eisenwerth, 1973