The Virgin holds a parrot on her right hand while holding the infant Christ in the crook of her arm. In her left hand she holds a pear which she offers to the parrot.
This image is not a common one, but was given currency by the very fine work of Martin Schongauer (No.21a). The pear is closely connected with the incarnation and is a symbol of Christ's love for mankind; the aprrot represents the material world. Here the Virgin offers the world the chance of redemption if it accepts the love of her son.
This version is a copy in reverse after one by B. Beham (B.7), dated before 1520. In the background is the castle of Nuremberg.
This is the 3rd state, with crosshatching on the Virgin's bodice, and the branches of the tree reaching right into the upper right corner.
