Madonna from Michle

The Madonna of Michle is the central work of the original group of wood statues which use the Western European style with its typical linear rhythmical drapery composition. It originated in central France and was further developed by the central Rhineland sculpture school (Strasbourg, Freiburg im Breisgau, etc.). The facial rendering points out possible associations with the Bohemian milieu. The sculptor, who most likely arrived from the Danube region or southern Germany, appears to have worked in Prague or possibly in Brno where the young Charles IV stayed as the Margrave of Moravia at that time. Responses to the work of this exceptional carver are found not only in Bohemia, but also in the wider Central European context (Upper Austria, Silesia, Kłodzko, Krakow region). The Madonna of Prostějov (around 1340) and the Madonna of Hrabová (around 1345) from the oeuvre of this master are also in the gallery’s collection.