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Virgin from Ger

Virgin from Ger is a Romanesque wooden sculpture from the parish church of Santa Coloma de Ger in the Baja Cerdanya. It is now displayed at the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, catalog number 65.503. Carved in polychromed poplar wood, it shows the Virgin seated with the Child on her lap in the Sedes sapientiae type. The Virgin wears a red tunic and veil, while the Child blesses with his right hand and holds a book inscribed EGO SUM with the left. The figures are rigidly frontal and symmetrical, reflecting the devotional purpose of Romanesque Marian imagery.

Virgin from Ger, a painted wooden Madonna and Child sculpture with faded red and yellow pigments.
Virgin from Ger, a carved wooden Madonna and Child figure with traces of faded red and yellow paint.
© · Public domain
Virgin from Ger, an aged carved wooden figure of a woman holding a smaller figure on her lap, with faded red and green paint and a long veil.
Virgin from Ger: a weathered carved wooden figure with faded painted details, shown on a white pedestal.
September 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Virgin from Ger wooden carving shown in profile, with a robed figure holding a smaller figure on its lap.
Virgin from Ger, a 12th-century wooden carving, shown from the side with the seated child figure visible on the lap.
September 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleVirgin from Ger
SubjectVirgin seated with the Child on her lap
TypeRomanesque wooden sculpture

Historical context

Date12th century, possibly close to the second third of the century
RegionCatalonia
Associated localityGer, in Baixa Cerdanya (Lower Cerdanya)

Creator

TechniqueWood carving with a brilliant technique

Materials

MaterialWood, specifically polychromed poplar wood
FinishingPolychromy
Construction methodUsually made from two blocks, one for the Virgin and another for the Child

Discovery and provenance

Museum acquisitionEntered the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in 1958 through the bequest of Santiago Jaume Espona i Brunet
Museum catalog number65.503
Date of transfer7 October 1925
Original locationParish church of Santa Coloma de Ger
Transferred toEpiscopal Palace of Urgel

Physical characteristics

Sculpture typeExempt devotional figure; sculptural group
State of preservationGood general preservation
Location in churchMainly around the altar, in prominent positions

Appearance

Child's poseSeated in the middle of his mother's lap
Child's faceFacial features similar to the Virgin's, with slanted eyes looking directly at the viewer
Child's crownMissing
Child's footwearBarefoot
Child's clothingLight tunic with floral decoration and braid at the neck, with a red toga over the shoulders
Child's hairUncovered hair falling behind the ears
Child's gestureRight hand blessing, left hand holding a book
Virgin's footwearThe lower part shows the tips of her shod feet
Virgin's handsHands rest on her knees, open protectively over her son without touching him; some fingers are missing
Virgin's crownTraces of a crown, probably added later
Virgin's veilRed floral-decorated veil partially showing her hair, covering her shoulders and reaching elbow level
Virgin's clothingRed tunic with symmetrically arranged folds
Virgin's faceElongated face with almond-pointed eyes
ThroneLow throne flanked by pillars and a decorated cushion
Virgin's poseSeated on a low throne, frontal and hieratic

Iconography and meaning

Interpretive noteThe child's adult-like features were intended to distance humanity and reduce distractions during veneration
Devotional functionDesigned to provoke devotion and respect
Book inscriptionEGO SUM ('I am')
SymbolismSymbolises the Church
IconographySedes Sapientiae (Throne of Wisdom)

History and restoration

Later alterationRetouched and adapted for a new concept of the subject; the child was moved to Mary's left knee
Evidence for alterationKnown from early twentieth-century photographs

Significance

ImportanceOne of the most important examples of 12th-century wood carving in Catalonia
Related stylistic groupPart of a series of images developed in the region of Cerdanya
Comparable worksImages from Bastanist and Targassona
ComparisonThe book inscription also appears in contemporary works such as the Pantocrator of the apse of Sant Climent de Taüll

Other

Source languageSpanish
Article fragment subjectVirgin with the Child from Ger