Death of the Virgin
Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality
Max Resolution:2352×3051 PX
Title:Death of the Virgin
Artists:Andrea Mantegna
Date:1461
Style:Early Renaissance
Genre:religious painting
Medium:tempera
Location:Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Dimensions:54.5×42 cm
Copyright:Public domain
The Death of the Virgin is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna, from c. 1462–1464.
In this picture Mantegna depicts the last moment of Mary's life within a space defined by classical architectures, with a squared pavement which leads the observer's eyes towards the bed on which the Virgin lies. In the background is a lake scene which is a detailed reproduction of the bridge and the burgh of the Castle of St. George in Mantua. The work was originally part of the decoration of the Castle chapel, together with three panels now in the Uffizi of Florence (Adoration of the Magi, The Ascension and The Circumcision) and one now in Ferrara (Christ Bearing the Soul of the Virgin).
The unfinished appearance of the pilasters in the upper part of the picture suggests that it was once larger than it appears today. The fragment of Christ with the Virgin's Soul, now in Ferrara, was most likely part of the original composition.