The exhibition ‘Schöne Madonnen am Rhein’ in the Rheinischen Landesmuseum in Bonn wishes to contribute towards compiling the core group of the elegant statues of Maria in the Rhineland.The exhibition concentrates on a group of artistically outstanding sculptures.We do not know the name of the artist behind any of the statues, nor do we know the date and their original intention.Nevertheless, this problem can be overcome in part with the help of style criticism and the combination with definitively dated and localised works.It will also become apparent that these works reflect the political, economic, social and cultural structures of the time, indeed that their uniqueness can only be understood by taking account of this historical context.
