Cover of a Reliquary Container with the Virgin and Child on the Crescent Moon

This small mother-of-pearl disc from around 1480 once capped a reliquary container, a vessel for holding sacred relics. The luminous surface depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child standing on a crescent moon, an image drawn from Revelation 12:1: "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet." This became a standard way to depict Mary as Queen of Heaven during the late medieval period.

Mother-of-pearl craftsmanship flourished in Bethlehem during the 15th century, when Franciscan friars introduced the skill to local Christian communities. Artisans cut the inner shells of molluscs into shapes, drew motifs on wood, carved outlines, and inlaid the shell pieces. The material's natural iridescence was thought to reflect divine light, making it ideal for religious objects. This cover is at the Art Institute of Chicago.