Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
This is a traditional rendering of the Death of the Virgin, in which she lies upon her bier surrounded by Christ in the middle, the Holy Apostles, and angels. As Christ gazes at his mother, he holds a child representing the Virgin’s soul, to be taken to heaven by little angels floating in the sky above. Around Christ is a cone-shaped mandorla, colored orange-red. An architectural setting frames the background, and in the foreground the Archangel Michael cuts off the hands of a Jewish priest who tried to disrupt the gathering; this figure’s wounds were later cured miraculously. The colors are very rich, with lavish gold for haloes, angels’ wings, and stars in the sky. In front of the figures is a barren landscape. The raised border is painted red.