I recently came across a very beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child that is located in the Basilica of Sant'Anastasia al Palatino in Rome. This particular statue has a particular European elegance to it and, based on its particular qualities and style, I would wonder if it wouldn't be dated the seventeenth or eighteenth century. Unfortunately very little research is available on this particular piece, but to my mind it is qualitatively a masterpiece so it is worth showing all the same.
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| Photo by Claudia Viggiani, Roma |
The style of the facial features suggest, stylistically speaking, a Renaissance Central European influence but at the same time it seems to clearly be of later vintage both in terms of the particular quality and precision of the carving but most especially in the painted designs that are used to approximate a decorative textile for the 'clothing' worn by the Virgin Mary -- which is quite eighteenth century in its style. (Though it is possible, of course, that these painted designs may have been added later.)
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| Photo by Claudia Viggiani, Roma |
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| Photo by Claudia Viggiani, Roma |
The fringed mantle is rather difficult to see given the statues placement, but certainly the fringes also support a seventeenth or eighteenth century dating.
Whatever the case, the main point here is that it is a particularly beautiful and noble statue of the Virgin and Child that might well be worth a closer look the next time you find yourself in the Eternal City.
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