Tondo with Coronation of the Virgin Fra Angelico (1400-1455)

This is a circular painting, a tondo, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin. In the center, Jesus Christ, with a golden halo and a crown, is placing a crown on the head of the kneeling Virgin Mary, who also has a halo. Both figures are richly robed in pale, flowing garments with gold accents and are bathed in a radiant golden light emanating from behind them. A radiating aura surrounds Jesus head, with visible rays extending outwards. The background is a deep blue sky, decorated with small yellow dots and scattered red, star-like figures with spiky appendages. The upper edge of the blue background is scalloped, resembling clouds or the edge of a celestial dome.
The subtext of the image is the exaltation of the Virgin Mary. By being crowned by Christ himself, she is elevated to a position of queen of heaven, signifying her paramount importance in Christian theology, second only to Christ. This scene is a visual representation of Marys assumption into heaven and her subsequent coronation, a moment of ultimate honor and divine recognition of her purity, virtue, and role as the mother of God. The radiant light symbolizes divine power and glory, while the stars and celestial blue suggest the heavenly realm. The elaborate robes and crowns emphasize their royal status in the spiritual hierarchy.