The white wimple, falling in folds, and the intense blue of the cloak characterise the half-length figure as the Virgin Mary. Pensive, turned slightly to the side, her hands clasped in prayer, she intercedes for the faithful – originally, in this case, for the client who privately commissioned this devotional picture. After 1500, the rendering of members of the Holy Family became increasingly intimate, offering viewers a greater opportunity for identification – a feature notable in this work. “Maria orans”, "The Virgin praying", is a late work, dating from between 1530 and 1540. Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller visited the Czernin collection, which was open to the public, and as part of his training he copied some of the paintings: in 1828 "The Virgin praying", which until 1925 was attributed to Hans Holbein; around 1824 Potter’s "Driving the Cattle out to Pasture"; and in 1822 Ruisdael’s "Landscape" and Velde’s "Landscape with Canal".

Ducke Astrid: Joos van Cleve, The Virgin praying, in: Ducke Astrid, Habersatter Thomas (Hrsg./Edi.): von | from 0 auf | to 100. Residenzgalerie Salzburg 1923-2023. Salzburg 2023, S./p. 124-125