03 — ARTWORK
Standing Virgin and Child
GERHAERT VAN LEYDEN, Nicolaus · 1470 →
- MEDIUM
- Boxwood, height 34 cm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · Metropolitan Museum of Art
- FILE
- 1017 × 1800 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
Standing Virgin and Child c. 1470 Boxwood, height 34 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The statuette expresses a combined sense of drama, monumentality, and elegance through the extraordinarily accomplished carving of the fine-grained wood. Among the naturalistic details that subtly enhance the forms is the delicate manner in which the Virgin's fingertips press into the chubby flesh of the Child.
Intended as an object of private devotion, and part of a long tradition in the use of boxwood for this purpose, it may well have been commissioned by a member of the imperial court in Vienna. Both arms of the Child and the section of drapery held in his left hand are replacements.
OTHER WORKS BY NICOLAUS GERHAERT VAN LEYDEN
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r3f95d189bb4ebe,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Standing Virgin and Child by GERHAERT VAN LEYDEN, Nicolaus},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/gerhaert-van-leyden-nicolaus-r86ab049ac0e3dd/standing-virgin-and-child-r3f95d189bb4ebe},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.