The Museum of the Ways of the Palace of Gaudí presents as ‘Piece of the month’ of May a virgin with the child of the early fourteenth century from the town of Poibueno (León). It is on display until the end of the month on the second floor of the Gaudí Palace and until the end of the year it will be exhibited along with other outstanding pieces on a monthly basis in an exhibition area of the monument.
This carving of the Virgin and Child, highlighted in the month of May, iconographically presents a still timid transition from the representation of Mary as Sedes in Throno to a more natural and complicit image with her Son, which was fully achieved in the Gothic period.
Still archaic (facial oval, stereotyped smile, position of the Child, although already slightly tilted), it is presented erect and stylized, lengthening the canon and gaining in elegance.
The Virgin does not keep her right hand and with her left hand she holds the Child Jesus who shows the cosmic sphere (totalizing symbol of power and perfection). Mary is covered with a veil and the tunic and mantle are enriched with golden “moles” that also stud Jesus’ dress.
In short, this carving from Poibueno (León) maintains the formal rigor and doctrinal emphasis of the Romanesque but it already shows an evolution towards the maternal dimension and close to the believer that we will see in the following centuries.
The image will be displayed this month in a prominent place on the second floor of the Gaudí Palace. At the end of May, it will be moved for exhibition along with the other pieces until the end of the year. The Gaudí Palace begins May with its summer schedule and can be visited every day from 10 am to 2 pm in the mornings and from 4 pm to 8 pm in the afternoons.