The Virgin and Child on a Crescent with a Diadem

Albrecht Dürer

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a woman holding an infant in her arms. The woman has a gentle expression as she looks down at the child. She is dressed in draped robes and there is a thin circlet around her head. Her light hair is long and curled. The infant in her arms is looking towards us and appears to be holding a small ball. Lines radiate from the two people, creating a halo around the woman's head. She stands on a crescent shape, with its curved edges pointing upwards.