Embroidery depicting the Virgin and Child. Her face is turned downward, toward the Child. Front view on a neutral background.

Appliqued figure: Virgin and Child, Cl. 23929 © GrandPalaisRmn / Mathieu Rabeau

Appliqued figure: Virgin and Child

Description

Not on display

Circa 1450

Late Middle Ages

This large Virgin and Child probably decorated an altar frontal. It is an appliqued figure that was embroidered separately and then sewn onto a piece of fabric that has since disappeared. Encircled with a halo, wearing a crown and holding a sceptre, she stands on a crescent moon: she is the image of the Woman of the Apocalypse, a symbol of the Church. She is also a Virgin of tenderness, gazing at the Child who wraps his arms around her neck. It is very finely embroidered, and notably uses the or nué (goldwork) technique.
 

From one artwork to another

Lead object: boat with an inscription on the sail carrying a Virgin and Child. Front view.

Pilgrimage badge, Notre-Dame, Cl. 4697 © GrandPalaisRmn / Michel Urtado

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