 |
 |
 |
 |
The Collections | Sculpture and Applied Arts | Highlights
The Coronation of the Virgin
Possibly Nottingham, about 1400
Alabaster, painted and gilded
The Virgin Mary, crowned as the Queen of Heaven, is seated on a throne next to Christ. His left hand rests on an orb, symbolising his dominion over the world, and he blesses the Virgin with his right.
This unusually large alabaster carving probably formed the central part of an altarpiece – the frame is a later addition. The panel would have been flanked by figures of the Apostles. Traces of the paint and gilding which once covered the sculpture still remain. Alabaster was quarried in South Derbyshire, but the carving took place elsewhere, possibly in a workshop in Nottingham.
Purchased 1939 (No. 39.25)