Saintly Woman

Saintly Woman
Poirier ; H. : 1.33 m; 
 depth: 0.31 m; 
 W.: 0.38 m.
Vallée de Boï (Catalonia),
ca. 1125 - 1150; Cl. 23 673
Gift from the ARMMA with support by 
 AREVA industries

In the 12th century, the church placed emphasis on the reality of Christ's death, reinforcing the importance of the Easter period. In the art world, this was translated into a development of scenes dealing with the Passion, most notably the removal of the body from the Cross. In the second quarter of the 12th century, a workshop in the high Pyrenees of Catalonia produced several groups inspired by this iconography with its Hieratic style and theatrical dignity, of which 5 have partially survived. Long known by an old and allegedly lost photograph, the Museum's Saintly Woman is an essential work of art. It shows that this workshop's production was not simply limited to the Removal from the Cross, testimony of Christ's death, but also included Saintly Women at the Tomb, symbol rather of his resurrection.