Title

Virgin and Child

Anonimous

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

The sculpture of the Virgin and Child was crafted in Mechelen, Flanders (Belgium), around the year 1500. These small-format pieces became highly popular and were intended both for private devotion and commercial trade. Their buyers were diverse, but there is no doubt that Spain and Portugal were the primary consumers. The piece likely arrived in Spain from Flanders via trade markets and fairs, possibly through the Medina del Campo (Valladolid) fair, given its significance at the time.

It is unknown who purchased the sculpture, but it is possible that a private individual acquired it to donate it to the Cistercian nuns of the Real Monasterio de san Quirce in Valladolid (Spain). The nuns had relocated to the city centre in the 14th century and were constructing a new monastery with the aid of external contributions. It is documented that in 1499, the Bishop of Palencia made a donation; therefore, it is plausible that the sculpture arrived through a similar means.

The sculpture remained in the Real Monasterio de san Quirce in Valladolid (Spain) until 1947, when the Argentine historian Héctor Schenone purchased it. He had received a scholarship from the Department of Cultural Relations of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study the Iberian influences on colonial American art. During his trip, he took the opportunity to expand his private collection with numerous pieces of Castilian, Flemish, and Italian origin, among others (Siracusano & Tudisco, 2009). According to Siracusano and Rey (2016), Schenone acquired the sculpture directly from the monastery. The piece later travelled with him back to Buenos Aires, where it became part of his private collection. Schenone was appointed director of the Isaac Fernández Blanco Municipal Museum in the 1960s. Today, his private collection is preserved in that museum, where the sculpture of the Virgin and Child is currently housed.

Description

The Virgin holds the Child with her right arm, while in her left hand, she grasps a staff. She is dressed in a long tunic, fitted at the waist. Her mantle falls from her shoulders and gathers over both arms, forming angular, broken folds, along with a long, curved fold that imparts a subtle "S"-shaped movement to the figure (Siracusano & Tudino, 2009). As for the Child, he is clad in a long shirt. The entire attire is gilded, with traces of polychrome decoration in shades of blue and ochre, which appears to have been added in Spain. However, the flesh tones correspond to the original period (Siracusano & Tudino, 2009).

Locations

• Early XVI^th c. - 1947

  convent

  Real Monasterio de San Quirce, Valladolid (Spain)

• 1947 - ca. 2014

  private collection

  Héctor Schenone, Buenos Aires (Argentina) *

• ca. 2014 - present

  museum

  Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco, Buenos Aires (Argentina)