Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Dürer made four engravings of the Virgin and Child standing on a crescent moon. These devotional images link the Madonna with the pregnant woman of the apocalypse from chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation. The verse says that "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars . . . " appeared in heaven, delivering a son to conquer Satan—a prefiguration of Christ. In direct contrast with the crowned Virgin (1934.334), whose double aureole shines extravagantly around her figure, Dürer conceived the Madonna (1958.116) with simplicity and humility. In each he presents the dual roles of the Virgin as the Queen of Heaven and as the humble mother of Jesus.
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Martin Schongauer (German, c. 1450–1491) — Virgin and Child 
Heinrich Aldegrever — The Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moo
Albrecht Dürer — Virgin and Child on the Crescent with a Dia
Albrecht Dürer — The Virgin on the Crescent (copy)
Albrecht Dürer — Virgin and Child on the Crescent with a Dia
Albrecht Dürer — Virgin on the Crescent with Scepter and Sta
Heinrich Aldegrever — The Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moo
Albrecht Dürer — Virgin on the Crescent with Scepter and Sta
Martin Schongauer — Virgin and Child with an Apple
Albrecht Dürer — The Virgin Nursing the Child
Hans Burgkmair — The Virgin with a Book in an Arbor
Albrecht Dürer — Virgin on the Crescent with Scepter and Sta
![Madonna and Child [obverse]](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/878db7e6-10ae-4cae-ba5d-6d6f5c413ae8/full/!500,500/0/default.jpg)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse]](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/7565a449-f82a-414b-9bda-c93f55a51b4d/full/!500,500/0/default.jpg)
