Kroning van Maria

The Virgin Mary kneels in prayer upon a bank of heavy clouds while Christ and God the Father place an ornate crown upon her head. Christ holds a tall wooden cross, and God the Father holds a globus cruciger, symbolizing dominion over the material world. A radiant dove hovers above the scene, surrounded by a celestial host of cherubim emerging from the clouds.

Engraved by Aegidius Sadeler, who became a central figure in the Rudolfine court in Prague, this work represents the Mannerist effort to visualize the 'Theosis' or the elevation of the soul to the divine. In Neoplatonic interpretations of the era, the coronation of the Virgin was frequently seen as a symbol for the Anima Mundi (World Soul) returning to its source within the Godhead.