The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Virgin and Child with a Bird

Virgin and Child with a Bird

c. 1350
without base: 54.6 x 17.8 cm (21 1/2 x 7 in.)

Description

The Virgin and Child represents one of the most frequent subjects for free-standing sculpture in 14th-century France, motivated by the developing cult of the Virgin and increasing veneration of Mary. Such sculptures were not restricted to churches, but were also found in roadside shrines, entrances to towns, and domestic use in private chapels. The small scale of this statuette suggests it was made for private veneration. The bird, held in the Virgin’s right hand, was a well-known symbol of the human soul and represents Christ’s role as redeemer of humankind.
  • Marcel Cottreau; John L. Severance, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942. Reproduced: p. [24], Plate X, cat. no. 17; Mention: p. 31, cat. no. 17 archive.org
    Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned: p. 210; reproduced: p. 213; cat. no. V-23 archive.org
  • Le Siecle de Charles V (The Century of Charles V). Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand Palais, Paris cedex 12, France (October 10, 1981-February 1, 1982).
    Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967).
    Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).
    Art and Humanism in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 23-February 25, 1962).
    The Madonna in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 9, 1947-February 9, 1948).
    Exhibition of the John L. Severance Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 12, 1942-March 14, 1943).
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child with a Bird|url=false|author=|year=c. 1350|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.784