The Madonna and Child in a Garden c. 1465 - 1467

Master ES created this engraving of The Madonna and Child in a Garden in Germany during the mid-15th century. At this time, the Catholic Church was an important patron of the arts, particularly of images of the Virgin Mary. The image is full of visual codes: the enclosed garden represents Mary’s purity, and the crown symbolizes her status as the Queen of Heaven. Master ES worked during a period of increased urbanization, and the relatively high number of surviving engravings suggest that they were made for a growing market of middle-class collectors who were eager to purchase devotional images for the home. The print would have been relatively inexpensive, and owning one allowed lay people to connect with the divine. Art historians use a variety of resources to better understand works such as this, from studies of medieval theology to economic histories of printmaking. Only by understanding these social and institutional factors can we appreciate the complex meanings that this image would have held for its original audience.