Rare Mother-of-Pearl Relief Depicting the Virgin and Child. German, 15th century

A Rare Mother-of-Pearl Relief Depicting the Virgin and Child.

German, Second Half of the 15th Century.

Measures 7.4 × 7.3 cm.

This finely carved mother-of-pearl relief presents a central image of the Virgin Mary seated with the Christ Child upon her lap. The Virgin is rendered with flowing drapery, the deeply incised folds and subtle creases exemplifying the carver’s technical mastery and sensitivity to form. She is positioned on a diapered ground suggestive of grass, and framed by an architectural portal, the open doorway providing both a compositional and symbolic axis.

Flanking the central group are figures of Saint Barbara and Saint Catherine, each identifiable by their traditional attributes, though the head of Saint Barbara (to the viewer’s left) is now lost due to damage, along with a section to the right of the panel.

Reliefs of this type, executed in mother-of-pearl, are characteristic of late Gothic devotional art in German-speaking regions and were often prized for their luminosity and fine detailing.

Comparable examples can be found in major museum collections:

• The British Museum, London, registration no. 1845,0825.97.102

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1845-0825-97-102

• The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no. A.25-1929

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O88966/the-annunciation-relief-unknown/

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 1976.316

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/465985

These parallels highlight the widespread appreciation and delicate craftsmanship of mother-of-pearl carving in the late 15th century, as well as the devotional function such objects held within private and ecclesiastical settings.