Maria met Kind op een maansikkel 1586 - 1650

This is ‘Maria met Kind op een maansikkel’ by Cornelis Galle I, made around 1600, using engraving. The composition immediately draws the eye upwards, with its central figures arranged in a vertical hierarchy. Note how the Virgin Mary, crowned and holding the infant Jesus, stands atop a crescent moon, visually dominating the scene. The artist uses contrasting textures to enhance depth. Soft, billowing clouds populated with cherubic faces surround the central figures, set against the crisp precision of the engraved lines defining Mary and Jesus. Below, angels kneel in adoration, their forms rendered with a stark chiaroscuro effect that adds emotional intensity. Galle employs a semiotic system of signs familiar to his era: Mary’s elevated position and the moon beneath her feet symbolize her purity and dominion. The angels, with their expressive gestures, serve as intermediaries between the divine and earthly realms. Consider how this work uses established religious symbols to affirm traditional values, but it also opens a space for personal interpretation through its dynamic composition and intricate details. It does not have a singular, unchanging meaning but invites ongoing interpretation and reinterpretation.