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Virgin Crowned by an Angel

Albrecht Dürer

1520

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

Virgin Crowned by an Angel is a 1520 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1520 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

The painting shows the Virgin Mary being crowned by an angel. She sits on a simple wooden bench, dressed plainly. The angel is placing a diadem on her head, and she looks directly at us. The Virgin's role as an intermediary with God is shown through her direct gaze. Her simple clothes and surroundings contrast with her importance as the Queen of Heaven. The artist used a halo with dense lines to emphasize her holiness. The use of light and dark is notable in this work, which is similar to the technique used by artists who work with chiaroscuro.

The story of this work

Overview

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 the two part of a set of three engravings and gave several away during his journey to the…

Read the full account in the museum source.