The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 13, 2025
Enthroned Virgin and Child
c. 1480
(Spanish, active c. 1475–1505)
Overall: 31.5 x 22.5 x 16 cm (12 3/8 x 8 7/8 x 6 5/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2008.145
Location: 110B Late Gothic
Did You Know?
This sculpture was possibly made for Queen Isabella, the Spanish ruler who sponsored Christopher Columbus.Description
The seated Virgin Mary with Christ is one of the most popular themes in Christian art of the Middle Ages. Alabaster was an ideal material to depict the fleshiness of Jesus, the lush folds of Mary’s cloak, and the fine details of the throne and gown. Christ is reaching for something in his mother’s hand that is now unrecognizable because alabaster tends to break or wear away quickly. It may have been a book or a piece of fruit. Given its small size, it is likely that this sculpture was intended for private use.- Fliegel, Stephen. "A Taste for Flemish Art." The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 49, no. 9(November 2009): 6-7. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 6-7 archive.orgWilliamson, Paul. The Wyvern Collection: Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture and Metalwork. London: Thames & Hudson, 2018. CMA Mention: p. 247Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 278Kaczenski, Alexandra. “Enthroned Virgin and Child.“ In Riemenschneider and Late Medieval Alabaster, edited by Aumaine Rose Smith, 154-157. Cleveland, Lewes: The Cleveland Museum of Art; D Giles Limited, 2023. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 154-157, no. 14
- Riemenschneider and Late Medieval Alabaster. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-July 23, 2023).
- {{cite web|title=Enthroned Virgin and Child|url=false|author=Gil de Siloé|year=c. 1480|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2008.145