La Dormition de la Vierge

Maso di Banco's Dormition of the Virgin (La Dormition de la Vierge), dating to around 1329, depicts the moment of the Virgin Mary's death surrounded by the apostles, a subject of central importance in Gothic devotional art. Maso was celebrated by Ghiberti as perhaps the finest of Giotto's Florentine followers, distinguished by his monumental spatial sense and luminous color. Now in the Conde Museum at Chantilly, this panel demonstrates the refinement of the Giottesque tradition in early Trecento Florence.

Painted in tempera and gold on panel, the composition arranges the mourning apostles around the Virgin's deathbed with the spatial clarity and volumetric solidity characteristic of Giotto's school. Maso's distinctive contribution is visible in the harmonious color palette and the subtle emotional expressiveness of the individual figures.