Madonna on the Crescent

Martin Schongauer

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a woman holding a child in her arms. The woman has long, wavy hair, and the child has curly hair. They are both shown from the waist up and the woman is looking down at the child. The woman is wearing a long garment and a veil over her head, standing over a crescent. Two angels above them are holding part of an ornate crown over the woman's head. The background includes lines radiating from the figures and a few clouds beneath the crescent.