The Assumption of the Virgin
Peter Paul Rubens·probably mid 1620s
Historical Context
This Assumption of the Virgin from the studio of Rubens, probably dating to the mid-1620s, depicts the Virgin Mary's bodily ascent to heaven, a subject that Rubens treated with particular dramatic power in several major altarpiece commissions. The Assumption was a Counter-Reformation subject of special importance, affirming Catholic doctrine against Protestant skepticism. Rubens' dynamic, swirling compositions of ascending figures influenced the treatment of this subject for generations.
Technical Analysis
The oil-on-panel demonstrates the Rubens workshop's mastery of dynamic, upward-spiraling composition with warm, luminous colors. The dramatic foreshortening and energetic brushwork capture the heavenly movement that characterizes Rubens' approach to the Assumption theme.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dynamic upward-spiraling composition as the Virgin rises through swirling clouds toward heaven.
- ◆Look at the dramatic foreshortening of the figures — a technical challenge Rubens and his workshop mastered for this subject.
- ◆Observe the warm, luminous color palette that creates an atmosphere of heavenly radiance and movement.
- ◆The energetic brushwork conveys the miraculous ascent with physical conviction, making the theological claim visible.
- ◆Find the attendant angels who support and accompany the Virgin, each rendered with individual gesture and expression.
Provenance
R.P. [possibly Robert P.] Nichols, London, by 1857.[1] Misses Weiss, Langton Castle, Worcestershire, by 1950.[2] (Frederick Mont, Inc., New York); sold January 1952 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1961 to NGA. [1] Gustav-Friedrich Waagen, _Galleries and cabinets of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of more than Forty Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Mss., &c.&c_, forming a supplemental volume to the Treasures of Art in Great Britain, 3 vols., London, 1857: 240. [2] _A Loan Exhibition of Works by Peter Paul Rubens, Kt._, notes by Ludwig Burchard, exh. cat., Wildenstein & Co., London, 1950: 2. [3] The bill of sale from Frederick Mont to the Kress Foundation is dated 30 January 1952 (copy in NGA curatorial files, see also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/2075). The painting is described as being a modello for the altarpiece in the Cathedral of Antwerp, from the collection of Langton Castle, Worcestershire, England.
