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Friesentor Madonna

Friesentor Madonna is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, dated to around 1370–1380 and attributed to a local artist. It is regarded as one of the finest and earliest examples of the beautiful Madonnas, a devotional sculptural type that became especially popular in Central Europe in the first half of the 15th century. Its style has been linked to the sculptures of the St. Peter portal at the south entrance of Cologne Cathedral, associated with the Parler circle. The work is stylistically distinct in its softer treatment of drapery and greater emphasis on flesh tones. It is currently exhibited in the Schnütgen Museum in Cologne, Germany.

Friesentor Madonna, a weathered painted wooden sculpture of the Madonna holding the infant Jesus on her hip.
Friesentor Madonna, a painted wooden sculpture of the Madonna with the infant Jesus, showing age and restoration traces.
December 2024 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Friesentor Madonna, a painted wooden Madonna and Child sculpture with gilded drapery, the child resting on her hip with one arm missing.
The Friesentor Madonna, a painted wooden Madonna and Child sculpture, shown with gilded garments and a missing arm on the child figure.
November 2015 © · Public domain
Friesentor Madonna, a polychrome sculpture of a woman holding a child with rosy cheeks and flowing hair.
Friesentor Madonna, a polychrome sculpture of a woman holding a child, with visible age and wear.
November 2015 © · Public domain

Identification

TitleFriesentor Madonna
Alternative nameFriesentor Virgin
Alternative nameMadonna of the Friesentor Tower
Alternative nameMadonna della torre dei Frisoni
TypeSculpture
TypeMadonna and Child statue
Iconographic typeBeautiful Madonna
SubjectVirgin Mary holding the Christ Child upright in her arms
Alternative nameMadonna of the Frisians' Tower

Historical context

StyleRefined and idealized
Art-historical contextA sculptural genre popular in Central European sculpture in the first half of the 14th century
Datecirca 1370–1380
Stylistic / historical contextBeautiful Madonnas were most widespread in Central Europe in the first half of the 15th century
Stylistic originCentral Europe
Stylistic period15th century

Creator

AttributionAttributed to a local artist or sculptor

Discovery and provenance

Museum transferMoved to the museum in an unspecified century
Source statusUnverified sources
Original location fateThe gate was demolished in 1882
Name originNamed for its presumed original location at the Friesentor
Original location noteAccording to tradition, the statue came from the Friesentor
Original locationThe Friesentor, an old city gate in Cologne

Location and ownership

Current locationSchnütgen Museum, Cologne, Germany
Display statusOn exhibit

Materials

MaterialWalnut wood

Physical characteristics

Missing partsBoth the Virgin and the Christ Child are missing the right forearm
Surface finishOriginal polychromy survives, but is faded
ConditionOverall in good condition; relatively well preserved
Clothing and draperyThe Virgin's mantle drapes delicately over her shoulders, ends at the knee, and bunches at the left hip beneath the Child, exposing the tunic; the cloth lies close to the body with waving, flat folds and tubular folds concentrated at the left hip under the Child
PoseAn upright Virgin and Child with a distinct S-curve body

Function

FunctionExclusively devotional statue; not a reliquary and contains no space for relics

Appearance

Depiction styleRefined and idealized depiction of the Virgin and Child
Stylistic featuresThe drapery is handled less directly, and the flesh tones are more strongly emphasized

Significance

Historical significanceOne of the oldest examples of the Beautiful Madonnas
Art-historical significanceOne of the best and most valuable examples of the Beautiful Madonnas
Artistic comparisonStylistically related to the sculptures of the portal of Saint Peter at the south entrance of Cologne Cathedral, attributed to the Parler circle and preserved at Kolumba in Cologne; those works are contemporary but belong to a different artistic context