The Assumption of the Virgin with Saints Michael and Benedict

Luca Signorelli's Assumption of the Virgin with Saints Michael and Benedict, painted around 1493-96, depicts the Virgin Mary's bodily assumption into heaven, flanked by the warrior archangel and the founder of Western monasticism. Signorelli, one of the most powerful figure painters of the late fifteenth century, was celebrated for his muscular, dynamic nudes and dramatic compositions. His work on the Sistine Chapel and the frescoes at Orvieto Cathedral established him as a precursor to Michelangelo.

Signorelli's oil and gold on wood technique combines the traditional gold ground of altarpiece painting with his characteristically forceful figure drawing. The ascending Virgin and flanking saints are rendered with the powerful anatomical modeling and dynamic energy that distinguish Signorelli from his more serene contemporaries.