The artwork “Madonna Crowned by Two Angels,” created in 1518 by Albrecht Dürer, is an engraving that exemplifies the Northern Renaissance art movement. This work, which falls under the religious painting genre, is held in a private collection. The medium used for this creation is an engraving, a popular technique during the Renaissance for producing detailed artwork.
The engraving depicts the Virgin Mary seated, gently holding the Christ Child, who reaches out as if engaging with something beyond the image’s frame. Above them, two angels are depicted in the act of placing a crown upon Mary’s head, signifying her role and stature as the Queen of Heaven. The details in the engraving are intricate, showing Dürer’s skill in creating texture and depth through line work.
Mary is dressed in fine clothing, suggesting royalty and divinity, and her gentle expression conveys a sense of maternal tenderness and tranquility. The background features a landscape which, upon closer inspection, reveals a fenced garden—an element that often symbolizes the enclosed and protected purity of the Virgin Mary, referred to as Hortus conclusus in medieval and Renaissance iconography. The detail in Mary’s halo, the angels’ wings, and the natural elements, like the foliage and the fence posts, display Dürer’s mastery in capturing the essence of his subjects with precise and delicate lines. The date “1518” can be seen inscribed, possibly indicating the year of completion.
