The recent conservation of The Cloisters’ Montvianex Madonna (1967.153) has provided an ideal opportunity for close examination of a French 12th-century wooden polychromed Virgin and Child from Auvergne. Investigation of the support and paint layers substantiated by scientific data has divulged several provocative technical discoveries, such as the presence of a relic in the sculpture, a multitude of tin appliqué relief on the figures’ colourful garments, and the simulation of variegrated stones on the throne. All embellishments are important to our understanding of French Romanesque aesthetics. During the course of this examination, comparisons are drawn to other Sedes Sapientiae believed to originate from the same workshop. -- SCMRE