the crowned and veiled Virgin with mantle and jeweled clasp, holding an apple and a serpent in her lap, the Child also crowned and with right hand raised in blessing, the throne with trefoiled rail and enamelled panels with angels on the sides, the reverse with printed label numbered 327 and red paint Morgan collection number P.M.428.  Door missing; proper right arm and hand replaced.

J. Pierpont Morgan, London and New York𓃲 until 1917

Buffalo Museum of Art, before 1946

A. Pératé, Collection Georges Hoentschel, vol. II, Paris,1911, pl. IV.

M.C. Ross, "Notice sur un statuette de la Madone et L'enfant du XIV siécle au Metropolitan Museum de New York", in Bulletin de la Société Scientifique Historique et Archéoligique de La Corréze, tome 55, livraison 1, Ja-J1, 1933, pp. 35-38. 

RELATED LITERATURE

E. Rupin, l'Oeuvre de Limoges, Paris: A. Picard, 1890, p.219.

Overall wear, rubbed gilding and some losses (almost all visible in catalogue illustration). Her proper right arm and hand are replaced. The back door is lacking. There is a crack in drapery (see front right) but this seems to be completely stable. There are some small openings/holes in the metal (not immediately noticeable). There are some losses to copper pins/nails (including on reverse from old hasp). There is some loss and replacements to "gems" on figures, particularly on the front of her crown. There are losses to points on both crowns. Some losses to enamel ground on side panels and back. The serpent appears to be a later addition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present statuette of the enthroned Virgin and Child belongs to a series of small images produced throughout the 13th century known as the Virgin in Majesty. These were likely based on Romanesque portable sculptures produced in France in the 12th century according to Forsyth (see I.H. Forsyth, The Throne of Wisdom--Wood Sculptures of the Madonna in Romanesque France, Princeton, 1972).

The enthroned Virgin represents the Throne of Wisdom, the sades sapientiae, understood as the vessel through which the mystery of the incarnation is realized. The cavity of the throne has been considered by some scholars to be a relic compartment while M. M Gauthier, in "Les Majestes de la Virge Limousines et meridionales du XIII siécle au Metropolitan Museum of Art de New York," in Bulletin de la Societé Nationale des Antiquaries de France, March 1968, pp.87-88, believed that it is a tabernacle for the consecrated host (much like pyxꩵes aꦍnd doves).