Virgin and Child Sheltering Supplicants under Her Cloak

ArtistAttributed to Peter Koellin German, active circa 1450–1475

Datecirca 1470

MediumLindenwood, polychrome, gold and silver leaf

Dimensions57 x 32 x 9 1/2 in. (144.8 x 81.3 x 24.1 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of R. J. Reynolds Industries Inc.

Object numberG.61.13.1

On View

Not on view

Label Text
The image of the Madonna enfolding the faithful under her protective cloak is known as the “Madonna of Mercy.” The term refers to the Virgin Mary’s role in Catholic theology as an intercessor, always ready to plead to Christ for mercy on behalf of those in physical or spiritual distress. In the Middle Ages, the subject was especially popular among members of monastic orders and charitable lay fraternities. In this sculpture, the Madonna shelters members of the spiritual estate: a pope, a cardinal, and a bishop can be identified by their distinctive hats. On the other side are representatives of the secular estate, including an emperor and knights. Held high in Mary’s arms, the Christ Child makes a gesture of blessing and holds an apple, symbolizing his role as the “New Adam” who redeems humankind from the consequences of sin.

Mary’s white gown is lined with blue and adorned with gold fleurs-de-lis (“lily flowers”), symbols of purity. She stands on a crescent moon from which a layer of silver leaf has all but worn away, revealing the red preparatory layer beneath the metal; what remains of the silver has darkened. The moon refers to Mary’s role as Queen of Heaven and also reflects the vision of the “Apocalyptic Woman” described in the Revelation of St. John: “A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1).
ProvenanceJ & S Goldschmidt, Frankfurt (1911); Catsel (Castle?) Ettersburg, Hessia, Germany; private collection, Vienna; with Paul Drey Gallery, NY; sold to NCMA, 1961Published ReferencesJ[ustus] B[ier], "R. J. Reynolds Co. Gives Important Sculpture," North Carolina Museum of Art Calendar of Art Events 5, no. 3 (December 1961), discussed 3-4, illus. (b-w) 3.

Malcolm Vaughan, "The Connoisseur in America." Connoisseur (April 1962), 278, illus.

Emporium (June 1962), 29, illus.

"Accessions of American and Canadian Museum, October-December 1961," The Art Quarterly (Spring 1962), 70, illus. 73.

Museum News (December 1962), illus.

Gazette des Beaux-Arts (Supplement) no. 1129 (February 1963), 24.

"Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 4, nos. 2 and 3 (Winter-Spring 1964), mentioned 4, listed 60, illus. (b-w) 41.

St. Mary's Junior College, Bulletin (December 1966), illus. cover.

Charles W. Stanford, Masterpieces in the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1966), no. 37, illus. (color).

North Carolina Architect, 20th Anniversary North Carolina Museum of Art 1947-1967 (Raleigh, NC: The North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, 1967) 15. Artwork included without mention in writing.

Justus Bier, "The Statue of a Madonna with the Protective Cloak by Peter Koellin of Esslingen," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 9 nos. 3 and 4 (March 1970), 6-13, illus. (b-w) 6, details (b-w) 8-10.

Edgar Peters Bowron, ed., Introduction to the Collections (Chapel Hill: published for the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, by The University of North Carolina Press, 1983), illus. (b-w) 170.

Introduction to the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1992), illus. (b-w) 148.

Anna Upchurch, "Private Support for a Public Collection," North Carolina Museum of Art Preview (Spring 1993), illus. (b-w) 14.

Rebecca Martin Nagy, entry for Madonna and Child Sheltering Supplicants Under Her Cloak, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, Rebecca Martin Nagy, ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1998), 69, 82, illus. (color) 82.

Seeing Women: Celebrating Women's History through Art. Newspapers in Education (supplement to the Raleigh News & Observer), n.d.: 4-5, illus. (b-w) 4.

Rebecca Martin Nagy, entry for Madonna and Child Sheltering Supplicants Under Her Cloak, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2010), 158, illus. (color) 159.

Rachelle Garbarine, “Pictures of Faith,” NCCatholics (December 2015), briefly discussed 18, illus. (color) 19.

Katherine T. Brown, Mary of Mercy in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Art (London and New York: Routledge, 2017), discussed 164, illus. (b-w) 163, fig. 72.
Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.