This finely modelled figure group forms part of Jehan Soulas’s celebrated Renaissance ensemble depicting the Birth of the Virgin in the ambulatory of Chartres Cathedral. Created in 1521, the scene shows a maidservant kneeling as she prepares to wash the newly delivered infant Mary, a moment drawn from late medieval and early Renaissance visual tradition in which domestic attendants play an active role in the nativity narrative.

The young woman bends forward attentively, holding the child over a shallow basin. Her sleeves are rolled back, and the folds of her gown gather in broad, weighted volumes characteristic of Soulas’s sculptural language. The figure’s posture, one knee raised, the other foot planted firmly, creates a sense of dynamic balance and practical action. Her head is wrapped in a simple linen coif, emphasising her status within the household and providing a contrast to the more elaborate attire of the principal figures elsewhere in the ensemble.

The treatment of the drapery, with its deep, rounded folds and subtle play of light across the surfaces, reflects the transition from Late Gothic modelling to the more volumetric approach of the early French Renaissance. Despite being a subsidiary participant, the maid is given strong psychological presence: her concentration on the infant underscores the scene’s intimate domestic realism.

This vignette is an essential part of Soulas’s large sculptural cycle, which blends devotional narrative with detailed observation of contemporary life. Together, these figures mark one of the high points of early 16th-century French sculpture.