FLEMISH, EARLY 17TH CENTURY

The present alabaster figure would originally have adorned a monument, altarpiece or elaborate rood screen. See for example, the Altarpiece of the Magdalen in Sainte Waudru, Mons, where the architectural format lends itself to a combination of reliefs and free-standing figures (illustrated in Mons, Collégiale Sainte-Waudru, Jacques du Broeucq - sculpteur et architecte de la Renaissance, 1 Oct. - 24 Nov. 1985, pp. 86). Although relatively simple in its overall form, this figure is notable for the delicate facial features, and the luxuriantly undercut locks of hair.