A Beautiful and Imposing Antique French Madonna and Child 18th Century Wooden Statue.
This gorgeous early 18th Century wooden Statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, stands an impressive 26 inches tall.
In solid oak it would have been once totally gilded and still bears traces of the gold foils on the pedestal.
The body of the statue still holds the plaster covering the wood.
The Virgin Mary carries her Son on her hip.
Her face is beautifully carved, and she seems to cast a tender look at the crowd here to meet her son..
The Holy Child is lovely, with his chubby little cheeks and arms.
He holds in his left hand the globe symbolizing the world and extends his right hand to bless the people.
The movement given to the dress by the wood carver is lovely, full of life and so is the blessed Virgin’s expression.
The statue stands on a wooden pedestal which is still lightly gilded and is carved in the typical manner of the early 18th century with a draped design.
The Statue has not been restored on purpose and bears the passage of time with both losses of plaster and paint as well as of pieces of wood.
We believe that for piece like this we would rather see the damage but hold on to the beauty of the original art form.
The Virgin is missing a hand as the photos show.
The statue also had an old split in the wood on the pedestal, that was restored probably in the 19th century.
The wood has been treated to prevent further damages.
A gorgeous example of Religious Art in the early 1700s around the Lyon Area.