Saint Margaret Malines circa 1500/1520

Saint Margaret known as the "Malines Doll" in carved walnut circa 1500.
Our saint is represented standing, holding a book in her left hand. The dragon, an attribute of her iconography, is at her feet, raising its threatening mouth towards her.
She wears a turban, or "ribboned bead" from which escapes her long hair falling on the front of her shoulders.
The harmonious drape of the dress with a square neckline, is animated by thin folds that break and trail to the ground.
In Malines, very close to Brussels, the Brussels style of the years 1490-1500 imposes itself in the first phase of the production of the statuettes which will be the specialty of the workshops of this city.
Modest in size, these sculptures were intended for private devotion and could be presented in the case of small domestic altarpieces.
Sculpted in Mechelen, these small figures – Virgin and Child, Saints, Saintesses... – have delicate baby faces, with rounded foreheads, almond-shaped eyes, and a mouth that outlines a slight smile.
To simulate the waves of the hair, the Mechelen sculptors regularly cut small crescent-shaped hollows, a process typical of the making of these statuettes.
There is no doubt that our Saint Margaret meets all these characteristics and offers us here all the exquisite charm of Mechelen art. A practically identical Saint Margaret is illustrated on page 54 of the book Sculptures brabançonnes du musée du Louvre – Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux

Dimensions
H. 37 cm x W. 13 cm x D. 7 cm

Southern Netherlands, Malines circa 1500/1520
Walnut
Circa 1500-1520
Missing the right hand