!!!Schöne Madonnen

Schoene Madonnen (Beautiful Madonnas), type of devotional figure 
characteristic of the  International Style from 1390 until around 
1420/25; mainly in sculpture form, of Bohemian origin. The works of 
Austrian wood carvers became known far beyond the Austrian borders. 
The Schoene Madonnen, standing Virgins with Child, were mostly 
worked in cast stone or in wood, usually in half-life size and in 
white, blue and red. Gilding was often used sparingly at the hems. 
Characteristic of the Schoene Madonnen is their S-shaped body, 
emphasising the trailing leg and the standing leg. This 
three-dimensional sense of movement is picked up and accentuated by 
the garment, which softly "flows" around the body. It is 
characterised by deep bowl-shaped folds and clusters of cascading 
tubular folds without any bends, breaks or creases. Individual types 
of Schoene Madonnen are often distinguished by the position of the 
Child. The Schoene Madonna of Krumau (around 1395-1400, today in 
the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna), made in Bohemia, is 
considered the masterpiece of this style. The province of Salzburg was 
the centre of Schoene Madonnen art in Austria. A number of first-class 
works originated there, among the most beautiful are the 
"Tannmadonna" from Altenmarkt im Pongau (around 1390-1393, 
of Bohemian origin), the "Hallstaetter Madonna" (around 
1405, Prague National Gallery), the madonna from the Franciscan 
monastery in Salzburg (around 1410) and the "Unterauracher 
Madonna" (around 1410/20, Tirol Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, 
Innsbruck). These statues show the typical characteristics of the 
International Style: idealised grace, charming appearance, soft flow 
of lines and folds and soulful stylisation.

!Literature
Schoene Madonnen 1350-1450, exhibition catalogue, Salzburg 
1965; G. Schmidt, Gotische Bildwerke und ihre Meister, 2 vols., 
1992.


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