Virgin with child

• CE00100
• 1276-1300
• Wood: carved

The model of Virgin with child is common in the Romanic and Gothic styles.The theme has its origins in Byzantium. Numerous authors have described the evolution of the image during the Late Middle Ages, from the first half of the 13th century, when the carvings start losing rigidity and the absence of relationship between child and mother, in order to move towards the humanization of the figures from the 14th century onwards. This carving is in an intermediate state, between the frontal and hieratic features of the oldest representations, and the newer ones with the child on his feet, reaching towards Mary's face. Common in this intermediate period is the child's position, seating on one of his mother's legs bit with his legs stretched towards the other.

The Virgin holds an apple in her hand, symbol of Mary as the new Eve, redeeming humanity through her son. Gonzalo de Berceo in his Miracles of Our Lady, at the end of the 13th century, compared the Virgin with a rich garden, in which there are flowers and fruits representig her and her miracles; for that reason, the apple is sometimes substituted for another fruit, flower, or even the World's globe. This is probably a Castillian Gothic sculpture, but the features of the Virgin might point to an influence from French models.