Young woman with a veil in polychrome limestone - Burgundy, mid-16th

If in the first third of the 16th century Burgundian sculpture testifies to the persistence of Gothic forms, it also abounds in examples which at the same time attest to its inclination for Renaissance aesthetics. Its adoption is made through the prism of the transcription made by the image makers of the Loire and the region of Troyes who then exert a considerable influence on it. This feminine face with soft and perfect lines is a great example. In fact, sculpted in limestone extracted from old quarries in the Tonnerre region, which in the 16th century provided statuary stone exported throughout Burgundy but also in Lorraine and Île-de-France, it presents the elegant and affable of the sculpture of the "Beau XVIe siècle". However, in spite of his almond-shaped eyes and his delicate and youthful mouth, some of his features distance him to bring him closer to the Burgundian tradition. This is particularly the case of the roundness of the face, very plump, of its short forehead and its flat nose, leitmotifs of the sculpture originating from this region. Wearing a light veil that leaves her hair with generous wavy locks half uncovered, this fragmentary head can be compared to that of the Virgin and Child of Commarin (Côte d'Or) made in the middle of the 16th century. On these two works, the veil is similar, wrapping around itself at the base of the neck of the two women whose faces radiate the same discreet contentment.
©Galerie Sismann
Published in Sismann, G. ; Lequio, M., Renaissance : France-Italie ( 1500-1600), Illustria, 2021, p. 156-157