Christmas - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2014 - 70 Euro Cent

The "Krumlov Madonna" gives a very gentle look to her baby Jesus. The late Gothic statue made of limestone, which is part of the Kunstkammer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, is one of the most famous surviving examples of the "Beautiful Madonnas" and a wonderful Christmassy stamp motif. "Beautiful Madonnas" are those depictions of the Blessed Mother, as they were common in the art of the late 14th century. Here, Mary is depicted with girlish grace and very special charm. The "Beautiful Madonnas" also share a specific emotional expression. The idealized image of the Queen of Heaven is combined with the image of a loving mother, in addition follows the representation of a precise observation of nature. The so-called "Krumlov Madonna", her head tilted, looks down at her baby, holding her so tightly that her fingers protrude into the child's skin. The child looks particularly alive, the mother smiles mildly. St. Mary wears a sumptuous robe, but the color has been lost over the years. It may have been a white dress with blue inside and gilded hems. Only the gilding of the hair was preserved. With its elongated folds and cascades on the sides, the garment of the Krumlov Madonna is typical of a "beautiful Madonna", the gentleness has been literally transferred into the dress, which also looks very majestic. The Krumlov Madonna is 110 centimeters high and was probably made around 1390 or 1400. At the beginning of the 20th century, the statue was found in the south Bohemian town of Český Krumlov, hence the name used today. It may have belonged to the Cistercian Abbey Goldenkron, located six kilometers outside Český Krumlov. Not only the color of the robe was lost: The top of the crown of St. Mary may have been removed, also parts of the head veil are no longer available. The baby Jesus lacks the left arm, the left leg and the right hand, which, as experts assume, held an apple. In Gothic figures, it is typical that the infant Jesus holds the orb and that the body of Mary is depicted in an S-posture and the head is tilted to the side. The Krumlov Madonna was probably created in the vicinity of the Prague Court under Emperor Charles IV, who was considered a center for culture. The statue was exemplary for many more Madonna statues. The fact that the unknown master who created them, but many "Beautiful Madonnas" come and that he traveled far, as these were produced in many different places, is no longer accepted today among art scholars.