The Woman clad with the sun, standing on the Moon, and the Dragon c. 16th century

Editor: This woodcut, "The Woman clad with the sun, standing on the Moon, and the Dragon," is by Hans Holbein the Younger. It’s incredibly detailed. What symbols do you see as most powerful here? Curator: The woman herself, of course. Garbed in the sun, standing on the moon, crowned with stars, she evokes a powerful, timeless feminine archetype—a convergence of the maternal and the divine. Does it remind you of any other similar symbol? Editor: I guess it’s hard to miss the dragon, representing evil. But what about the sun, moon, and stars? Are they strictly religious? Curator: They certainly allude to the Book of Revelation, yet transcend mere illustration. Sun, moon, stars... these resonate deeply within the collective human psyche, representing cycles, hope, and the cosmos itself. Holbein taps into primal symbolism, a visual language understood across cultures. Editor: That's amazing. I hadn't thought about it like a common language. Curator: Indeed. Holbein layers meaning upon meaning, reminding us that images can hold both sacred and secular weight. It is an invitation to contemplate the enduring power of symbols.