UNKNOWN MASTER, German
(active 1390s in Cologne)

Woman of the Apocalypse

1390s
Oak, 32 x 20 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

This courtly, small standing Madonna is a Woman of the Apocalypse, as indicated by the sun and moon at her feet. Mary is invested with a lavish bridal crown, typifying the beautiful Madonna of the period, an aristocratic theme close to the elegant ideals of the International Gothic style. This aristocratic, conservative manner prevailed throughout Europe close to the year 1400.