French school; XIX century.

French school; XIX century.
"Triptych".
Enameled bronze.
Measurements: 18 x 14,5 x 0,5 cm.
This work is structured in three articulated panels, which identifies it as a portable devotional object, inspired by the domestic or personal altarpieces that proliferated during the Middle Ages. This type of object allowed the faithful to carry with them a sacred image to facilitate prayer and contemplation.
The central theme of the triptych is a representation of the Virgin enthroned with the Child, a motif widely diffused in Christian art since the first centuries of Christianity, and which acquires a particular solemnity in the Gothic context. Mary, represented as the throne of wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae), appears crowned, alluding to her heavenly royalty, and tenderly holds the Child Jesus, who seems to be blessing or dialoguing with his mother, emphasizing the human and affective bond between the two. The scene is crowned by the figure of an angel who places the crown on the Virgin's head, reinforcing her role as Queen of Heaven.
On the sides, in the lateral panels of the triptych, there are two figures of saints or angels, carrying candelabra or scepters, which frame the central scene and reinforce the sacred and solemn character of the composition. The deep cobalt blue enameled background, typical of the medieval techniques of champlevé or cloisonné enamel, contributes to the visual and symbolic richness of the work: blue, a Marian color par excellence, intensifies the celestial and spiritual dimension of the whole.