Madonna Enthroned with Child (known as “Madonna of the Jails”)

Abruzzi School

The relief of the “Madonna of the Jails“, constitutes a valuable evidence of figurative stone sculpture from the thirteenth century, as well as an important piece for the study and knowledge of medieval sculptural production in Abruzzo.
Displayed in 1905, at the exhibition of ancient Abruzzese art in Chieti and listed in the catalogue as “Madonna and Child. Byzantine Style […]”, it was reproduced for the first time in the volume “L’Arte Abruzzese” by Vincenzo Balzano in 1910, here on display. At this date, the appearance of the relief was different from the present one, as can be seen for example in the Madonna and Child’s faces, and in the additions of the polychromatic inserts in the geometric background.
The Virgin is portrayed seated on a throne, resting on a cushion, while she holds the Child with her left arm and displays a jewelled cross, which she holds in her right hand.
The background is enlivened by a geometric squared pattern carved in different depths̀ of relief in the stone. The richly draped robe and the crowned hairstyle of the Virgin hark back to the Byzantine culture and style, widespread during the Middle Ages also in inland areas of central Italy such as Abruzzo.
Little is known about the toponym “Madonna of the Jails”, although an origin from L’Aquila of the artefact has been hypothesised.