Madonna as a Protectress

German 15th Century

National Gallery of Art

This print depicts a woman standing upright with her arms outstretched. She has pale orange skin, long, wavy, pale-yellow hair, and she wears a crown on her head, accentuated by a large circular halo behind her. Her face is turned to the left, and has simple features, including large eyes, a straight nose, and a thin mouth. She is dressed in a long robe of pinkish red with a red-orange cloak draped over her extended arms. Several smaller, nude people kneel under her arms, looking up at her with clasped hands. Two additional people wearing robes are visible in the upper corners of the print, their hands also clasped. The person on the left appears to have green wings. The background is plain, off-white paper, and the ground at the bottom is green.