Enthroned Virgin and Child
This monumental ivory carving is one of the largest to survive from the later Middle Ages. Weighing nearly eleven pounds, the sculpture retains much of its original paint. The tender depiction of the infant Jesus touching the chin of the Virgin as she plays with his foot is of Byzantine origin.
Credit: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
c. 1275-1300
Ivory with original paint
40.6 x 13.0 x 11.1 cm
17.190.296
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection