Restored in 1991 with Save Venice general funds.

Little is known about this alabaster sculpture of the Madonna and Child, which stands above the doorway to the minor sacristy, located off of the main sacristy of the church of Santo Stefano. The figure of the Virgin is set within a stone niche and flanked by two angels. The Madonna’s pose displays a fluid S-curve, while her sweeping drapery gives little indication of the anatomy beneath, both typical features of late French Gothic sculpture. The torso and head of the Christ Child have partially broken off.

Some scholars have placed the sculpture among works coming from the region between Paris and Dijon from 1412 to 1430. The marble angels flanking the Virgin and Child are considered to be the product of a Tuscan workshop and date prior to the 1440s.

The work was restored by conservators from the Marchetto e Bortolaso restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Ettore Merkel of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Unidentified French school
Madonna and Child
Early fifteenth century, alabaster
45 cm tall

Chorus Association: Church of Santo Stefano