Sedes Sapientiae

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Sedes Sapientiae, Atelier mosan, second half of the 11th century (Virgin) and 14th century (throne), polychromed and golden alder (Virgin), polychromed and golden oak (throne), provenance: Hermalle-sous-Huy. Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Musée du Cinquantenaire, Brussels, Belgium). Made with CapturingReality. In the Meuse region, sculpted depictions of the Virgin and Child date back to the 11th century. The Virgin is consistently seated in a frontal and dignified pose; she holds the blessing Child on her knees. Jesus represents eternal wisdom, and the Virgin serves as his throne. In these early representations, the Virgin remains relegated to the background. She is depicted veiled and dressed with restraint, existing solely through her role as mother. The throne used by the 11th-century Virgin was not original; it originated in the 14th century. The Virgin and her original throne were crafted from a single block of wood. For more updates, follow me on Twitter at @GeoffreyMarchal. https://twitter.com/GeoffreyMarchal