I'm continuing to post my figure study drawings for my work-in-progress based on Revelation chapter 12. What does the Woman clothed with the Sun represent? From the Douay-Rheims commentary:
"[1] A woman: The church of God. It may also, by allusion, be applied to our blessed Lady. The church is clothed with the sun, that is, with Christ: she hath the moon, that is, the changeable things of the world, under her feet: and the twelve stars with which she is crowned, are the twelve apostles: she is in labour and pain, whilst she brings forth her children, and Christ in them, in the midst of afflictions and persecutions."
Thankfully I have access to a baby (my son, A), and a pregnant friend who patiently allowed me to put a sheet and a tablecloth around her for a photo. This isn't a likeness, but a good compromise between realism and the stylized woman and child from the Douce Apocalypse. I'm convinced the artist dressed a model in robes and observed the fabric folds carefully in the same way:
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