Virgin from Santa Maria in Matamala

In order to do this sculpture the maker followed the model of the Holy Image of the Virgin of Montserrat, with which it has numerous parallels. Although it is smaller in size than the former, both the position of the figure of the Virgin, seated on a throne, and the oval shape of her face with the outline of the nose well formed and a serene affable smile on her lips, make these similarities clear. She is crowned and in her right hand holds the orb, the atavistic symbol of the firmament and the perfection of the cosmos. When Mary holds it, the sphere also represents the symbol of the apple of Paradise. Mary holds it as a symbol of the new Eve, together with the Infant Jesus come down to Earth to redeem humankind from the original sin. Like the Virgin of Montserrat, it is in the Romanesque style typical of the Vic workshops of the end of the 12th century.