Tracing origin and history of Virgin and Child in Majesty, the oldest wooden polychrome statuette in the Czech Republic

Abstract

A wooden polychrome statuette of Virgin and Child in Majesty, currently in the Museum Montanelli in Prague, is actually a torso. It was created in the 11th or the 12th century at the latest, being the oldest wooden polychrome statuette in the Czech Republic. Current research combining advanced imaging and micro‐analytical methods, substantially contributed to the determination of its regional origin and detection and dating of later interventions. Identified pigments, including azurite, vivianite and smalt together with changes in gilding technology were found to be essential in tracing the story of the statuette over time.