The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 30, 2023

Reliquary Statuette of the Virgin and Child

c. 1330

Austria, Salzburg, 14th century

Painted lindenwood

Overall: 40.7 cm (16 in.)

The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken 1973.143

Location

109 Gothic Painting and Sculpture

Description

A small rectangular cavity in the back of this sculpture reveals that it was originally made to serve as a reliquary (a container for relics). In her left hand the Virgin holds a pear, a symbol of the peace and love of Christ.

Provenance
William M. Milliken, Cleveland, Ohio.
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).

Transformations of the Court Style: Gothic Art in Europe, 1270 - 1330. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (February 2-27, 1977).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.143