The Virgin of Alsace

Another beautiful day, so I went for a walk in the grounds of the Gallery of Modern Art Two, where I blipped the Virgin of Alsace by Emile-Antoine Bourdelle.

This sculpture is an intermediary model for a six-metre-tall stone carving, which stands on a hill near Niederbruck in Alsace, France. The style of the work reflects Bourdelle's love of French Gothic sculpture. The figure of the Virgin is based on the artist's wife Cléopatre, and the child Jesus is modelled on his daughter Rhodia. Cléopatre was also a sculptor and the head-scarf worn by the Virgin was inspired by one she used when carving, to keep the dust out of her hair.

The sculpture was worked on between 1919-1921, a few months after all the atrocities of World War One, so I suspect that it must had a bearing on how Bourdelle undertook his sculpture.

Anyway, I hope you have had a lovely day.