Virgin and Child
- Culture
- French
- Date
- c.1320
- made in
- Meaux, Île-de-France region, France, Europe
- Classification
- Sculpture, stone & mineral
- Collection
- European Art to 1800
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- height: 74 in. (188 cm)
estimated depth at upper arm: 18 in. (45.7 cm)
width at base: 25 in. (63.5 cm)
weight: 1221 lb. (553.8 kg)
72 1/2 x 24 1/4 x 18 1/4 in. (184.2 x 61.6 x 46.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 2:1930
NOTES
While her figure describes an elegant curve, the solid features and substantial girth of this virgin provide a satisfying image of maternal solicitude. The sculpture, intended for an enclosed chapel or perhaps a convent, combines the graceful veil that enframes Mary's beaming face with the infant's charming gesture as he fingers the edge of his mother's garment.
Provenance
Seminary chapel, parish of Cornillon, Meaux, France [1]
by 1911 -
Emile Wauters (1846-1933), Paris, France [2]
- 1928/08/11
Poly & Co.
1928/08/11 - 1930
Brummer Gallery, Inc. (Joseph Brummer, d.1947), New York, NY, purchased from Poly & Co. [3]
1930 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [4]
Notes:
[1] A 1911 article states that the sculpture originally belonged to the seminary at Meaux, a small town 30 miles east of Paris. The sculpture was salvaged and brought to Paris by an unknown dealer whose shop was located on the Quai Voltaire [Lees, Frederic. "A Newly Discovered Statue of the Virgin." "The Burlington Magazine" XIX (August 1911), p. 288]. Gillerman's 2001 publication expounds upon this notion and states that the object was "formerly in the seminary chapel in the parish of Cornillon, Meaux" [Gillerman, Dorothy. "Gothic Sculpture in America: II. The Museums of the Midwest." Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2001, cat. no. 177, p. 234].
[2] Lees' 1911 article (see note [1]) lists the sculpture as being in the collection of the Belgian artist Emile Wauters at this time.
[3] According to notes taken by Michael Carter from the Joseph Brummer files, currently housed at the Cloisters Library and Archives, New York, NY, Brummer purchased the sculpture from Poly & Co. on August 11, 1928. The files do not mention the location of the company nor how Poly & Co. acquired the piece [email dated October 21, 2003, SLAM document files].
[4] See note [3]. Invoice from Brummer Gallery, Inc. dated October 20, 1930 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 18, 1930.
by 1911 -
Emile Wauters (1846-1933), Paris, France [2]
- 1928/08/11
Poly & Co.
1928/08/11 - 1930
Brummer Gallery, Inc. (Joseph Brummer, d.1947), New York, NY, purchased from Poly & Co. [3]
1930 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [4]
Notes:
[1] A 1911 article states that the sculpture originally belonged to the seminary at Meaux, a small town 30 miles east of Paris. The sculpture was salvaged and brought to Paris by an unknown dealer whose shop was located on the Quai Voltaire [Lees, Frederic. "A Newly Discovered Statue of the Virgin." "The Burlington Magazine" XIX (August 1911), p. 288]. Gillerman's 2001 publication expounds upon this notion and states that the object was "formerly in the seminary chapel in the parish of Cornillon, Meaux" [Gillerman, Dorothy. "Gothic Sculpture in America: II. The Museums of the Midwest." Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2001, cat. no. 177, p. 234].
[2] Lees' 1911 article (see note [1]) lists the sculpture as being in the collection of the Belgian artist Emile Wauters at this time.
[3] According to notes taken by Michael Carter from the Joseph Brummer files, currently housed at the Cloisters Library and Archives, New York, NY, Brummer purchased the sculpture from Poly & Co. on August 11, 1928. The files do not mention the location of the company nor how Poly & Co. acquired the piece [email dated October 21, 2003, SLAM document files].
[4] See note [3]. Invoice from Brummer Gallery, Inc. dated October 20, 1930 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 18, 1930.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.