Virgin Crowned by an Angel
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
Accession Number
1973.215
Tags
male
About this artwork
The boundary between heaven and earth is obscured in this engraving as an angel descends to crown the Virgin with a simple diadem. Although she is plainly dressed and sits on a simple wooden bench, Dürer portrays Mary as the Queen of Heaven. Her direct gaze communicates her role as an intermediary with God for the sake of humankind. Like his Virgin with the Swaddled Child of the same year, Dürer employed a halo emitting dense striations of light to emphasize the Virgin’s holiness. He considered ...