Virgin of Mercy

The Virgin of Mercy
Ca. 1400
Polychromous limestone
H. 0.39; W. 0.28; D. 0.20
Cl. 23656
Bohemia or Salzburg ?

The elegance and sophistication linked to the purity of the lines and the simplicity of the expressions characterise this Vesperbild (or The Virgin of Mercy),whose small size seems to indicate it is an work of private devotion.
The group's composition, calm and stable, rests on the formal contrast between the rigidity of Christ's corpse, treated in large geometric shapes with a heavily outlined skeleton giving it the appearance of broken lines, and the block formed by the Virgin on her throne, where the undulating folds of her cloak, all curves and sinews, form a soft receptacle for the body of the crucified man. This contrast is further accented by the Virgin's softness of features, so surprisingly young; Mary is depicted here as a young girl, with her smooth face, full cheeks, small mouth and chin, and her straight, short nose with plump nostrils. She holds her hand to her breast in pain, while on tears run down her face, which is framed by a veil whose folds form a kind of halo. By avoiding overworking the piece, the sculptor prevented dramatising the Virgin's suffering; her feelings are simply expressed by these few tears and a look of immense sadness. Her pain is only more poignant because of its subtle display, and the upsetting intensity of the group is born of this restraint of expression.
This piece forms a transition between the Parler called Pietà "horizontals" groups from around 1380-1390 and the "Beau style" Pietà "diagonales" from circa 1400. It could come from Bohemia or Salzburg, where this artistic influence was directly felt. By its subtle grace, poetry and exaltation of the qualities of softness, youth, restraint, sobriety and melancholy, this Vesperbild integrates perfectly into the "Beau style" movement which characterised central Europe at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries.