Maria met kind

About this artwork

merk, op de achterzijde, ingebrand: drie palen (het Mechelse merk voor de houtkwaliteit)

Art Historical Context

This small walnut sculpture, titled *Maria met kind* (Mary with the Child was likely carved in Meclen (Malines a renowned center for wood sculpture in the early sixteenth century. The branded mark of three vertical poles on the reverse confirms its origin, as this stamp certified the high quality of local timber used by Mechelen workshops. Measuring just 38.5 cm in height, the figure was probably intended for private devotion rather than a church altar, allowing its owner a personal connection to the tender image of the Virgin and infant Jesus. Created between about 1515 and 1520, the work re...

About the Artist

anonymous

In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...