Virgin and Child. Culture: French. Dimensions: Overall (with base): 32 x 9 1/2 x 6 5/16 in. (81.3 x 24.1 x 16 cm)without base: 30 3/8 x 9 3/8 x 5 5/16 in. (77.2 x 23.8 x 13.5 cm)Base: 1 5/8 x 9 1/2 x 6 5/16 in. (4.1 x 24.1 x 16 cm). Date: ca. 1340.This statuette is one of the most elegant images of the Virgin and Child produced in fourteenth-century France. The fine details of the carving as well as of the original gilding make this a most precious document of sculptural style associated with contemporary court patronage. This work may have been the gift of Jeanne d'Evreux (d. 1371), queen of France, to the Cistercian convent of Pont-aux-Dames, located near one of the royal chateaux.The original gilt metal crown is now lost, which explains the smooth rounded surface at the top of the virgin's head. The eucharistic pyx, held in the Virgin's right hand and blessed by the Christ Child, prefigures the Passion. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.