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Premium Catalan School. Romanesque. Early 13th century.
Catalan School. Romanesque. Early 13th century.
Lot no. 6
Description
Catalan School. Romanesque. Early 13th century.
'Seat of Wisdom. Sedes Sapientiae'
Carved and polychrome wooden sculpture.
58,5 x 17 x 12,5 cm.
The Latin term Sedes Sapientiae means Seat of Wisdom or Throne of Wisdom. It is one of the most widespread images of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, in visual art.
This designation was used for the first time in the 11th and 12th centuries by Peter Damiani and Guibert de Nogent, to compare the Virgin Mary with the throne of Soloman. Mary becomes the seat for the embodiment of the Christ Child.
'Seat of Wisdom' is one of the descriptions of the Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto.
The origin of these images is byzantine, and they became popular in the Occidental church from the 11th century. The Cistercian Order was constituted from the 12th century and was a great promoter of the worship of Mary.
From the 11th century, with a movement that culminated in the Gregorian Reform (1073), the image of the Virgin in Majesty and its symbolism was developed.
The Sedes Sapientiae, or seat of wisdom, became the image of Mary par excellence. In this way Mary is both the means of the incarnation of the Lord and His main support.
The 'Sedes Sapientiae' were produced in the Early Middle Ages and can be situated geographically from Auvergne to Catalonia, and from Italy to Scandinavia.
The sculptor had the skill to imbue the image with spirituality, conveying its idealised and celestial nature.
Our important image is a faithful example of the Romanesque stylistic characteristics of the Virgin in Majesty. Mary, seated on her throne of Glory and Wisdom, is also the throne of her son, who, following Romanesque canons, is seated in the center of his mother, although slightly displaced.
Both are in a forward-facing position, in total symmetry and independent from one another. There is no interaction between Mother and Child.
The frontal attitude, the throne and the severe and inscrutable look accentuate their majesty and invite devotion and respect from the faithful.
Mary wears a simple tunic. Beneath the crown, a fine veil falls, framing her face but leaving it uncovered, and rests on her shoulders.
Her face is beautiful, oval-shaped, with long eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes, a long, thin nose, and thin lips.
Stylistically, in our opinion, this 'Sedes' falls within the Romanesque style from the northern Catalonia or southern France regions, an example of which being the 12th century Virgin of Santa Maria of Matamala, kept in the Episcopal Museum of Vic (inv.1404).
Provenance:
- Private collection. Mallorca.
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