Virgin and Child in Majesty called "Sedes Sapientiae"

Origin : South of France or Catalonia
Period : Late 12th century - early 13th century


Height : 75.5 cm
Width : 22.5 cm
Depth : 19 cm

Good remnants of polychromy


In the middle of the 12th Century, the Virgin takes place in churches, sitting in Majesty, serving as throne to his son Jesus. She is said Sedes Sapientiae or Seat of Wisdom.

She is not represented for herself, and exists only because she was designated as Theotokos, Mother of God, at the Concil of Ephesus in 431, where was proclaimed the divine nature of the Christ from his birth.


Description

The Virgin enthroned presents the Christ Child she holds with her left hand. He is sitting on her left knee in a three quarters position, holding an open book on his knees.
The Virgin wears a long blue dress with long sleeves revealing her knees under the cloth and hiding the feet. Her shoulders are covered with a red coat.

The Child Jesus also wears a long tunic, exposing his small feet. He wears a blue cloak with frontal folds.

The Virgin, round face, straight nose, tiny mouth, is wearing a long veil placed high on the forehead.

The Child himself has a fixed crown revealing hair. He designates the Scriptures with his right hand.

The identity of the faces of the Child Jesus and his mother says, by the similarity, the concept of descent and by the age of the child, his pre-existence compared to his mother. We can see the similarity of the two profiles and looks.