The statue of the Virgin Mary in Hildesheim Cathedral, known as the “Tintenfassmadonna”, was created around 1430 by an unknown sculptor from Lower Saxony.
The standing figure of the Virgin Mary, depicted in a Gothic S-curve, is made of wood and is about 180 cm high including the base. Mother and son look down at the viewer with graceful faces. Mary carries her son, who is equipped with a quill and writing roll, in her left arm. She is dressed in a blue cloak over a tight-fitting pink undergarment. She wears a powerful-looking crown.
This comes together at the top of each crown tip to form a three-part leaf, which is interpreted as a symbol of the Trinity. With her right hand she hands her son the inkwell. The naked baby Jesus on Mary's left arm holds the quill with which he wants to write on a long roll of parchment.
The motif of the writing baby Jesus in his mother's arms is rather rare and has no biblical reference. The theme belongs to the motifs of the learning baby Jesus, which developed in the Middle Ages as a narrative story of its own. One way of interpreting the motif of the writing baby Jesus is that Christ already possessed divine wisdom as a child.
For 500 years, the "Tintenfassmadonna" adorned the old meeting room of the cathedral chapter. From 1960 until the start of the renovation work in 2010, it was located on the southern crossing pillar. Today, it can be seen on the northern pillar of the crossing.