Maria staand op de maansikkel tegen een kruis 1676 - 1719

Jacobus de Man created this engraving of Maria standing on the crescent moon against a cross in the Netherlands in the late 17th or early 18th century. This image of the Virgin Mary presents us with a convergence of symbolic forms: a traditional Catholic devotional image rendered through the newly democratized medium of printmaking. The figure of Mary, the angels, and the lunar crescent combine with the cross, sun, stars, and lilies. The image is further embellished with Latin inscriptions and references to religious texts. Prints like this circulated widely, shaping popular conceptions of religious figures while also serving as a source of income for artists and publishers. By studying such images alongside church records, guild documents, and family papers, we can gain insight into the social and economic forces that shaped the religious imagination of the time. This engraving offers a glimpse into the visual culture of its time and the institutions that sustained it.