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Description
Flemish school. Circa 1500.
“Saint”
Carved, gilded, and polychromed wooden sculpture.
40 x 16 cm.
An exquisitely fine sculpture, both for the delicacy of the gouges used to carve it and for the polychrome work—gold, blue, and shades of gray and beige—achieving a complexion that resembles kaolin, with an ivory-like hue; a true gem.
Our lady is dressed according to the courtly and aristocratic fashions of the Flemish Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, reflecting an iconographic tradition in which sacred figures adopt the symbols of prestige associated with the nobility.
Our lady is adorned with a headdress in the style of a lady of that era and wears elaborate, rich garments.
Our hypothesis is that this is Saint Elizabeth from a sculptural ensemble in which the Virgin Mary is missing, thus depicting the encounter between the Virgin Mary and her cousin Saint Elizabeth. Our figure “converses” with the other missing sculpture; she clearly appears to be reaching out toward someone—she is in motion. With her right hand, she makes a gesture as if to gather her dress, while her left arm—which is missing a hand—appears to be reaching out in a gesture of welcome, as if to embrace her cousin, the Virgin Mary.
If we look closely, we can also see that the figure is performing or beginning a slight genuflection, a natural expression of respect toward Mary.
Flemish workshops in cities such as Brussels, Antwerp and Mechelen specialised in reliquary busts and small polychromed wooden sculptures, such as the piece we are offering in this auction. Rather than wearing classical or timeless tunics, these figures were dressed in sumptuous gowns and elaborate headdresses, including the crespine headdress worn by our lady, and even adorned with jewellery typical of the noblewomen and princesses of the period.
Dressing a martyr or a virgin as a great lady or courtly noblewoman was not a worldly lapse on the sculptor's part. Rather, it served to associate spiritual virtue with noble lineage, presenting the saint as a “heavenly princess”. Noble patrons and ladies of the aristocracy could see themselves reflected in these images, emulating their decorum and social status.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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