Figurine of the Virgin and Child Culture / Period: Medieval period Date / Period: Typical style of the period 1425–1475 Material: Pipeclay / plaster Dimensions: Height: 246 mm Condition: Age-related wear, surface abrasions, and minor chips. Visible casting lines and losses consistent with age and handling. Stable condition overall. No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid. Provenance information: Private European collection, acquired on the European art market. No further provenance information available. Background Information: This figurine depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, one of the most enduring and recognisable themes within medieval Christian devotional art. Mary is shown crowned and draped in flowing robes while carrying the infant Christ in her arms, reflecting iconographic traditions widely encountered in late medieval Europe. The figure follows stylistic conventions associated with the period circa 1425–1475, particularly in the elongated proportions, flowing drapery, and formal frontal presentation. Such devotional figures were inspired by larger ecclesiastical sculptures and altarpiece imagery found in churches, monasteries, and pilgrimage centres throughout Europe. Objects of this kind were commonly used for private devotion within domestic interiors or small chapels. Pipeclay and plaster examples provided more affordable alternatives to carved stone or wood sculptures, allowing devotional imagery to become accessible to a wider segment of medieval society. These figures served both as religious objects and as visual expressions of personal faith and piety. The crowned Virgin motif reflects the widespread medieval veneration of Mary as Queen of Heaven, while the inclusion of the Christ Child emphasises themes of protection, salvation, and divine motherhood central to Christian belief during the late medieval period. This example forms a tangible connection to the devotional culture of medieval Europe, where figures of this kind played an important role in both public worship and private spiritual life.