Lot 01

ENTHRONED MADONNA

The depiction of the Virgin Mary with the Child on a throne, which draws directly on the Byzantine tradition and was reinterpreted in the West under the name Sedes Sapientiae, became widespread between the 13th and 14th centuries and eventually emerged as one of the most popular iconographic motifs in medieval sculpture. This Latin term, which can be translated as “Throne of Wisdom,” refers to Mary’s role as the support of the Incarnate Word, an idea already present in the writings of Peter Damian and Guibert of Nogent in the 11th and 12th centuries, where an analogy is drawn between the Mother of God and the throne of King Solomon. The composition depicts Mary with the Child in a strict frontal pose, whose rigidity is softened by a subtle turn and the asymmetry introduced by the figure of Jesus. The Virgin Mary has a majestic and distinctly monumental appearance, seated on a low throne without a backrest, decorated with simple horizontal moldings. The figure of the upright Child, with a blessing gesture and adult features in the style of the period, symbolized the embodiment of divine wisdom. It is interesting that the Madonna’s gaze is directed both toward the Child and simultaneously toward the viewer. The back of the throne has a cavity, likely for storing relics and reducing weight. In her right hand, Mary holds a bunch of grapes in an obvious Eucharistic symbolism; with his left hand, the infant Jesus holds a sphere or an apple as a symbol of original sin. Mary’s head likely originally bore a hammered crown of precious metal, as evidenced by traces on the crown of her carved hair.