The Virgin and Child

The Virgin is depicted seated on a bench holding the Child on her left knee. His right hand is raised, blessing and on His left knee are traces of an object, perhaps a book, on which His left hand probably rested. The carving, which was evidently intended to stand under a tabernacle on an altar, retains traces of successive coats of paint. In spite of the fact that it is quite worn and damaged, it was seen as a work of the greatest importance due to the extreme rarity of English wood figures of the period. Though it bears a certain resemblance to French wood carvings, such as the Virgin and Child at Gassicourt, it seems undoubtedly to be of English workmanship.