Lot 169

Unknown author MADONNA WITH BABY JESUS

A free-standing sculpture of the Madonna and Child, with its original polychrome and gilded finish, now significantly worn and damaged in places. The Virgin Mary is depicted in a slight contrapposto, in a long, richly pleated cloak with remnants of gilding, carrying the naked baby Jesus on her left arm, her right hand with a pear held out in a gesture of offering or blessing. Typologically, the sculpture can be classified as Central European, where a strong tradition of monumental Marian sculptures developed around 1670–1700, both for altarpieces and for use in processions.