Aragonese or Catalan school; End of the 12th century - beginning of the 13th century.

Aragonese or Catalan school; End of the XII century-early XIII century.
"Seated Virgin and Child".
Carved wood.
Remains of polychrome.
Measurements: 54,5 x 20 x 13 cm.
Image of half a bulk carved in wood, polychrome, representing Mary seated, with the Child in her lap. It follows the Marian model of the "Sede Sapientae", dressed with tunic and mantle, welcoming the Child but without establishing a maternal relationship between them. Parallel and "v" folds, typically Romanesque, mark a regular rhythm in the draping of the mantle, whose golden patterns on the red of the Passion give a luminous substance to the Marian figure. Within the Romanesque sculpture we distinguish two categories: the one that appears inscribed in the architectural frame and the free-standing one. In the latter category the iconography is not yet very extensive, since the pantheon of saints is still brief. The most common will be the representation of Christ crucified and, in even greater numbers, the Virgin conceived as the throne of God ("Sedes Sapientiae"), a category to which the carving presented here belongs. In the Romanesque, the Virgin Mary is nothing more than the seat of divinity; she is not presented as the mother of God, so there is no affective relationship between her and the Child. In fact, at this time the Virgin is not yet a relevant character within the Church. These Romanesque Virgin Thrones of God were always made in a size between 50 and 100 cm in height, mainly in carved wood, and in them the protagonist is always the Child, despite the difference in size with his mother. Jesus always appears as we see here, facing the viewer, and normally in the center, although here he is slightly displaced to one side, in a more natural position that indicates a clear formal advance within the Romanesque style. As we have said, there is no affective relationship between Mary and Jesus, but rather they turn their backs to each other and look directly in front of the viewer.