A POLYCHROME WOOD GROUP OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD ENTHRONED

The enthroned Madonna reflects her role as the Queen of Heaven. On her lap she holds the Infant Christ, Lord of the World, seated in between her knees as if he were installed on the Seat of Wisdom. Madonna is depicted frontally and has an air of austere tranquillity, deeply engaged in solemn religious thoughts. The elongated features and curvilinear veil of the Madonna are similar to a number of venerated works carved in La Rioja just below the Cantabrian mountains in northern Spain (Español and Yarza, loc. cit.). The slightly bemused, sweet and expressive ovoid faces of both Madonna and Christ are also evident in other works of the region, including a figure of an Archangel of the Annunciation in the Museo de Historia de Barcelona (Sanpere, loc. cit.) and also works from Burgos and Zamora to the west (Tejada, loc. cit.).