The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Reliquary Statuette of the Virgin and Child

c. 1330

Austria, Salzburg

painted lindenwood
Overall: 40.7 cm (16 in.)
The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken 1973.143
Location: 109 Gothic Painting and Sculpture

Description

A small rectangular cavity in the back of this sculpture reveals that it was originally made to serve as a reliquary (a container for relics). In her left hand the Virgin holds a pear, a symbol of the peace and love of Christ.
  • William M. Milliken, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • “The Year in Review for 1973.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (February 1974): 31–78. Reproduced: p. 35; Mentioned: p. 73, no. 26 www.jstor.org
  • Transformations of the Court Style: Gothic Art in Europe, 1270 - 1330. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (February 2-27, 1977).
    Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Reliquary Statuette of the Virgin and Child|url=false|author=|year=c. 1330|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.143