Death of Mary

The Death of Mary, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli around 1484 and preserved in the Benozzo Gozzoli museum in Castelfiorentino, depicts the Dormition of the Virgin — the moment when Mary's earthly life ended and her soul was received by Christ. The subject was one of the great set pieces of late medieval and early Renaissance sacred narrative, typically showing the twelve apostles gathered around the Virgin's deathbed, a scene that mirrored the Last Supper in its configuration of authority figures around a central holy person. By 1484 Gozzoli's narrative style was deeply formed — clear, colorful, and accessible to lay viewers with limited Latin education.

The arrangement of the apostles around the deathbed follows the standard iconographic formula, with Peter at the head administering last rites and John at the foot. Gozzoli differentiates the apostles through individualized facial types and clothing colors rather than through psychological nuance. The architectural frame of the room provides a perspectivally organized space that anchors the figures without overwhelming them.