"Seat of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae)". Carved and polychromed wooden sculpture. Romanesque. 12th century.

"Seat of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae)". Carved and polychromed wooden sculpture. Romanesque. 12th century.
61 x 17 x 15 cm.
The Latin term Sedes Sapientiae means Seat of Wisdom or Throne of Wisdom. It is one of the most widespread images of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, in visual art.
This designation was used for the first time in the 11th and 12th centuries by Peter Damiani and Guibert de Nogent, to compare the Virgin Mary with the throne of Soloman. Mary becomes the seat for the embodiment of the Christ Child.
'Seat of Wisdom' is one of the descriptions of the Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto.
The origin of these images is byzantine, and they became popular in the Occidental church from the 11th century. The Cistercian Order was constituted from the 12th century and was a great promoter of the worship of Mary.
The 'Sedes Sapientiae' were produced in the Early Middle Ages and can be situated geographically from Auvergne to Catalonia and from Italy to Scandinavia.
Our image is an example of exceptional sculptural quality, as almost the entirety of its original polychrome has been preserved. The Child is not preserved, which does not affect the importance of the sculpture in any way.
The sculptor knew how to endow the image with spirituality by transmitting Mary´s idealised and celestial nature.
Mary is in a forward-facing position, seated on her throne of wisdom, and crowned as the Queen of Heaven. She wears a red-toned tunic and a blue cloak with gold trimming. The lightness of the materials can be appreciated as they cling to the body, forming small parallel folds.
A fine veil falls from under the crown, which frames the face but leaves it clear, coming to rest on Mary´s slim shoulders.
Her face is beautiful and oval-shaped, with long eyebrows over slanting eyes, a long slim nose and fine lips.
Stylistically, in our opinion, our Majesty suggests a Catalan Romanesque origin, with similarities to, among others:
The Madonna and Child, dated circa 1200, which is kept in the MNAC Barcelona (inv. 003923-000):
https://www.museunacional.cat/ca/colleccio/mare-de-deu/anonim/003923-000
Our Lady of Matamala, 12th century, kept in the Episcopal Museum of Vic, in Catalonia, Spain (in.1404) https://www.museuartmedieval.cat/es/colleccions/romanico/virgen-de-santa-maria-de-matamala-mev-1404.
Some French Romanesque Majesties from the Pyrenees - Massis Central area, have elements in common with our Seat of Wisdom, as we can see in the marvellous Sedes which is kept in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, which has a French origin and is dated circa 1175-1225, in which we can observe elements in common with ours (inv. Nº 27.255) https://art.thewalters.org/detail/3972/virgin-and-child-8/ and the magnificent "Vierge à l’Enfant de Nolay", dated between the 11th and 12th century, which is kept in the Musée de Beaune in France.