Statue of Mary

hi

I just bought a painted terracotta ststue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. Signed E. Schillemans. See attached file, the smaller statue left in front. Size 40 cm high.
I have no idea how old it can be, nor can i find any information about the artist. Can anyone help?
geralt

 

we'll need to see the signature...the base, and a close up of the material , to help with any sort of identification.

Help us, to help you !

 

Hi thanks

I enclosed a picture of the signature, will post one of the material later

 

And here the close-ups of the material

Thanks! Geralt

 

Welcome Geralt. She is lovely.
Are you in the Netherlands or Belgium, by any chance?
I can't find E. Schillemans, but that is another Dutch/Flemish name. There is a Dutch art historian Robert Schillemans, maybe a relative?

This looks like a statue from the early Dutch 'Het Rijke Roomse Leven' period. 'Het Rijke Roomse Leven' was the Catholic revival from 1860-1960, after Dutch Catholics had been given back their rights and places of worship.
Much of the art for the new (old) churches was in the Gothic Revival and other Historic Revival styles of the time, but there was always something 'sweet' about them, and they generally have extra shading in folds etc.
In the 1960s many statues were thrown out of the churches, in a rigorous 'out with the old, in with the new' art cleansing fashion.

The Madonna you are asking about was probably inspired by an Italian Madonna, and made in the second half of the 19th century.
The other two look roughly the same period. The one at the back could be a copy of a Medieval southern Dutch Madonna. The other one with the lamb is classic Rijke Roomse Leven, she is the most recent of the lot.

It looks like the lion leg of the stool is another colour than the rest of the stool, maybe that is just the photo.

 

Hi GRIJZER, welcome on board!
Please, follow the instructions in this link to post FULL SIZE pics in your posts
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/posting-a-thread-and-uploading-pictures.15990/

 

Btw, is that a Balinese Art Deco deer figurine on the shelf in the background?

 

Hi

Thank you very much for your explanation! Very interesting , i didn’ know all this, even though i am dutch and i live in the netherlands and i am catholic .

The wooden sculpture in the back is a moose, so not balinese i think...

Thanks again ! Geralt

 

That slender little thing is a MOOSE!!??

Welcome!

 

Repression of anything or anyone Catholic started during the 80 years war, 1568-1648. Even though Catholics fought as much for freedom as Protestants, and the first murdered Dutch leaders, Egmont and Horne were both Catholic, the Dutch Protestants started to see Catholics as the enemy. Just because the Spanish they were trying to kick out were Catholics who repressed the Protestant faith.

Egmont and Horne still don't have a proper memorial here in the Netherlands, (ungrateful so-and-so's), but at least they are honoured in Brussels:



Here is some more on the historical background of Het Rijke Roomse Leven (apologies to the others, it is in Dutch only):
https://www.brabantserfgoed.nl/page/3880/het-rijke-roomsche-leven

And socio-cultural aspects (again, Dutch only):
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijke_Roomse_Leven

 

Not many moose in Indonesia, I don't think.

 

Yes it is... !

 

Thanks again!

 

Nice.

 

Hi

Perhaps you can help me out on one other Mary sculpture I have, carved from wood. The height is 70-80 cm, there are some small areas with the old plaster and decoration. I thought it was french.
Geralt

 

She is beautiful. I would think she is from the Low Countries as well, 19th century.
Very good quality carving, and she would have looked stunning with the original polychromy.

 

Thanks, and yes what a shame the colors are gone. She looks a bit like a letter box now with the missing wood.

 

AJ and I both prefer Mary to be attractive...well, beautiful.

That one is the only one I have ever seen that comes close to a wonderful sculpture in the Metropolitan!