Assumption of the Virgin

Andrea del Castagno's Assumption of the Virgin, painted around 1449, depicts the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven, a doctrine that was a central tenet of medieval Marian theology. Castagno's powerful, monumental style transforms this ethereal subject into a vision of physical dynamism The Virgin Mary occupied a central place in late medieval and Renaissance piety, venerated as intercessor and Queen of Heaven, her image produced in countless devotional objects for public and private use.

The Assumption is rendered with Castagno's signature sculptural vigor, the ascending Virgin surrounded by angels in a composition that emphasizes upward movement through the dramatic foreshortening of figures and bold use of perspective.