Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moon

Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Carved in high relief, this sculpture was undoubtedly the focal group in the central shrine of a large winged altarpiece of a type that flourished in southern Germany and Austria in the late Gothic period. The image of the Virgin on a crescent moon reflects the vision of Saint John (Apocalypse 12:1): “a woman clothed in the sun, and the moon was under her feet.” The orb held by Christ signifies his role as spiritual ruler of the world, while the grapes in his mother’s hand symbolize the wine of the Mass.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Virgin and Child on a Crescent MoonVirgin and Child on a Crescent MoonVirgin and Child on a Crescent MoonVirgin and Child on a Crescent MoonVirgin and Child on a Crescent Moon

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.