Flemish or Italian school following models of c. 1500; 19th century.

Flemish or Italian school following models of c. 1500; XIX century.
"Virgin and Child.
Carved alabaster.
Measurements: 44 x 23 x 15 cm.
Carved in alabaster, a material appreciated for its translucency and chromatic softness, the work stands out for the delicacy of its workmanship and the ability to convert the stone material into a support of great visual and devotional warmth.
From the stylistic point of view, the piece refers to prototypes from around 1500, visible both in the moderate frontality of the Marian figure and in the rhythmic cadence of the wide and deep folds that cascade down to the base. The treatment of the Virgin's face, oval, with a serene expression and a softly lowered gaze, reveals an ideal of contained and timeless beauty, close to both the Italian tradition of the first Cinquecento and the more intimate and affective Flemish sensibility. The Child, leaning naturally on his mother's lap, introduces a soft dynamic counterpoint, with a softer modeling that accentuates his infantile condition.
The technical quality is evident in the precision, especially in the details of the hair, hands and textile folds, as well as in the final polishing of the alabaster, which allows a delicate play of light on the surface.
On the iconographic level, the representation of the Virgin enthroned with the Child underlines her role as Sedes Sapientiae, throne of divine Wisdom. The protective attitude of Mary and the confident gesture of the Child reinforce an affective and devotional reading of the scene, intended for private contemplation. This iconographic type, widely diffused in the Netherlands and Italy at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, was particularly valued in the 19th century for its symbolic charge and its connection with a spirituality considered "pure" and original.