Crescent Moon Madonna

Crescent Moon Madonna
Swabian/Tyrol
Around 1510
Height 92 cm, with base 101 cm

This Madonna shows Mary as Queen of Heaven on a crescent moon, holding her child in her arms. She is depicted in a red dress with a golden overgarment that has blue lining. On her head she wears a high Gothic crown decorated with finials, a typical Gothic decorative element. Underneath, her flowing hair stands out, cascading down at the sides in long strands. In her right hand she holds an apple, which can be interpreted as a symbol of fertility; with the other hand she is holding her son close to her. The naked Jesus child has raised his right hand in a gesture of proclamation and is grasping his mother’s headscarf with his left hand. Here the human side of Jesus Christ is emphasised. The volutes of his short hair are also typical of the Gothic period. The protruding bowl fold on which the child is sitting additionally directs the viewer’s gaze to Jesus. Underneath, the cloak descends to the ground in small-pleated configurations and a diagonal fold. The prominent bowl fold also finds its counterpart at the hem of the cloak, which is draped over a prong of the crescent moon and takes on a similar semi-circular shape. Underneath, a face with a turban emerges, probably originally gilded in silver. This could refer to the Revelation of John or also, as is often repeated in folklore, represent the face of the carver. This wonderful sculpture is a typical late Gothic, high-quality object that was probably carved in the Swabian or Tyrolean region.

Bibliography:
Erich Egg, Gothic in Tyrol. The Winged Altars, Innsbruck 1985.