Lot number 4 - Auction 165
GROSSE MONDSICHELMADONNA

LARGE CRESCENT-MOON MADONNA Southern Germany, probably Swabia, ca. 1460-1480 Linden wood, sculpted in the round, polychromed and gilded, flattened and hollowed out on the back. H. 126, W. 42, D. 27 cm. A large, significant late-Gothic depiction of the Madonna with the Christ Child on a crescent moon, an iconographic type derived from the Book of Revelation ("the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet"). Mary appears as the Queen of Heaven, holding the Christ Child in her arms, standing above the crescent moon and radiating an aura that is both solemn and intimate. The softly flowing gilded folds of the robe, the slender figure, and the balanced composition are characteristic of Swabian woodcarving from the second half of the 15th century. The high-quality craftsmanship and monumental size lend the figure an impressive presence. Condition: Verso, minimal woodworm damage, stress crack, crescent damaged, gilding partially retouched, minor losses. Provenance: Weinmüller Auction House, Munich, Auction 86, Lot 1367, 1978; Hofmann Auction House, Frankfurt, 1979.