Romanesque Enthroned Madonna

myminifactory

Mary is depicted as Theotokos, or Mother of God, with a Christ child noticeably absent from her lap. Sitting on an ornate throne, she's surrounded by flowers and intricate geometric patterns on three sides, while the back remains plain to prevent cracking. Much of the original twelfth-century paint still shines through. Mary wears a stunning red gown cinched at the waist with an elaborate belt, topped off by a brooch around her neck and a lavish blue mantle adorned with intricate embroidery. Her oval face, elongated due to foreshortening, suggests this statue was meant to be viewed from below, as many of these madonnas were designed for display on altars or plinths. They often played key roles in processions and liturgical dramas. Created around the early 12th century, this statue may have originated from the Lower Rhine region of Germany.