Female figure with attendant angel

“The young woman’s age and delicate physiognomy suggest that the most obvious secular candidate is Mary of Burgundy. Yet the figure does not conform to typical posthumous representations of the duchess, who almost always appears with a head covering and elaborate jewelry . . . The more likely possibility is that the sculpture represents a virgin saint or the Virgin Mary, perhaps given her orientation and gesture at the scene of the annunciation . . . The figure’s missing limbs and the lack of any evidence of a saintly attribute can only lead to speculation on her identity. While it would be unconventional for an angel—here identified by his bare feet and the now empty slots that once held wings—to accompany such a saint, an angelic attendant would not be unusual in the presence of the Virgin.” (Pierre Terjanian, ed., _ The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I _, 2019, 78–79.)

Sources:
- Pierre Terjanian, ed., _ The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I _, 2019, 78–79.