Gothic ivory Nursing Madonna, 15th-17th century

Height x width sculpture: 43 x 12 cm. Total height x width x depth: 70 x 40 x 7.7 cm. Total weight: 9800 g approx.

elephant ivory (Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 or Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797) carved to depict a Gothic Madonna nursing the Child.
Placed within a wooden shrine, possibly from a later period, covered in metal foil and decorated with glass pastes in shades of green, red and blue, it is a 15th-17th century work of sacred art. Ivory represents purity and allows for delicate details, while Mary is depicted with a sweet and maternal expression with her face with fine features, framed by neat hair held back by the tiara that supports the veil. The Child Jesus is portrayed feeding at the breast, with the childlike gesture of the left hand resting on his  mother's breast as a symbol of humanity and divinity. The glass paste on the support adds sacredness, representing the  connection between the divine and the earthly, with Mary as intercessor between heaven and earth.

This lot, accompanied by a CITES certificate and expertise issued by Ce.S.Ar Centro studi archeometici, is only available for sale with shipments within the European Union.