Sedes Sapientiae (Catalonia, ca 1300)

This particular Sedes was carved in Catalonia around 1300. The expression of the Virgin is compassionate and dignified. The face of the Child Jesus very serene without having lost His childish features. The frontal attitude, the throne and the severe and inscrutable look accentuate their majesty and invite devotion and respect from the faithful.
In this sculpture Mary is seated on a throne bench, in a hieratic posture inherited from previous centuries. In Her right hand She holds an apple, symbol of the original fall and of her redemption. She is from a Catalonian workshop between the end of 13th and beginning of 14th century. She wears a statically draped cloak, whose drapery respects the canons of the time. Her veil is topped by a crown. The Child Jesus blesses the world with the thumb, index and middle fingers of His right hand and He holds the book of the Holy Scriptures in His left. The position of His legs is at the same time playful and serene. The quality of this sculpture compared to the production of that period and region lies in the very tender facial expression of both Mary and Jesus. Overall weathered but very good general condition (no losses or restorations) considering the age. Remains of red, blue and yellow polychromy. Light wood, most probably pine.
References can be found in: ‘Musée Mares à Barcelone - Vierges à l'Enfant médiévales de Catalogne, Presses universitaires de Perpignan.’

The Latin term Sedes Sapientiae means Seat of Wisdom or Throne of Wisdom. It is one of the most widespread images of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, in visual art.
This designation was used for the first time in the 11th and 12th centuries by Peter Damiani and Guibert de Nogent, to compare the Virgin Mary with the throne of Solomon. Mary becomes the seat for the embodiment of the Christ Child.
'Seat of Wisdom' is one of the descriptions of the Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto.
The origin of these images is byzantine, and they became popular in the Occidental church from the 11th century. The Cistercian Order was constituted from the 12th century and was a great promoter of the worship of Mary.
The 'Sedes Sapientiae' were produced from the Early Middle Ages onwards and can be situated geographically from Auvergne to Catalonia and from Italy to Scandinavia.