A Devotional Virgin

This early woodcut depicts a statue of the Virgin and Child. The figures standing below the statue’s base adore and venerate the statue, just as the viewer is meant to do. In the Middle Ages, it was common for the devout to travel to pilgrimage sites where they asked the Virgin to intercede on their behalf. This print was probably sold at a pilgrimage site and was meant to remind the owners of their spiritual journey and to continue their devotion upon their return home.