"The Virgin With Child" Hand Carved Wood Sculpture - Signed: Sylvia Daoust (1902 - 2004)

Fine Art : Sculptures : Religious : Wood Carving : Carvings

 

The holiday season will soon be upon us and what better way to pay homage to the King of Peace than with this hand carved wood sculpture titled "The Virgin With Child", created in 1959 by world renowned sculptor Sylvia Daoust (1902 - 2004). The sculpture depicts an intricately detailed image of the Virgin Mary looking down upon the baby Jesus as she holds Him in her arms. Carved from a single block of oak the sculpture measures 12 1/2" in height by 11 1/2" in width and is signed "Sylvia Daoust - 1959".

Sylvia Daoust, one of the first woman sculptors in Quebec, died in Montreal at the age of 102 years.

Sylvia Daoust, C.M., C.Q., A.R.C., born in Montreal, was one of the first female sculptors in Quebec. She graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, but also studied in Europe. As well as working as a professional sculptor, she taught at the École des Beaux-Arts de Québec from 1930 to 1943, then at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal from 1943 to 1968.

The majority of her works are religious in content and form. They have been described as a mixture between religious classicism and realism. Her works include the Nicolas Viel bronze adorning the façade of the Quebec National Assembly, Mary Queen of the World at Montreal's Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, and a statue of Édouard Montpetit at the Université de Montréal.

Sylvia Daoust has won several prizes, including the "Allied Arts Medal" from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1961. She was made a member of the Royal Society of Canada, the Order of Canada and the Ordre National du Québec. This was a truly remarkable woman who devoted her life to her work, always modest to the influence and power of her talents that helped pave the way for other female sculptors, whether or not they chose to emulate her religious artistry.

Item ID: ME-2603