Artwork
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin is a tempera painting by the Sienese School artist Bernardo Daddi. It dates from 1338 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition serves to visualize this specific moment of divine elevation, focusing on the figure of Mary as the primary element of the narrative.
Bernardo Daddi's 1338 painting, The Assumption of the Virgin, is a religious work that depicts the main subject of the Assumption of Mary. The iconography centers on a woman, representing the Virgin Mary, as she is taken up into heaven. As a piece of religious art, the work symbolizes the theological belief in the bodily ascent of Mary, a key event in Christian tradition.
The composition serves to visualize this specific moment of divine elevation, focusing on the figure of Mary as the primary element of the narrative.
Technique & Style
Created in 1338, The Assumption of the Virgin is executed in tempera on a panel support. The work measures 108 cm in height and 136.8 cm in width. As a religious painting by Bernardo Daddi, the piece depicts the Assumption of Mary, featuring the Virgin as the central subject. The medium and format are characteristic of the period's panel painting traditions.
History & Provenance
The panel was painted by Bernardo Daddi in 1338, as recorded by the artist’s dated inscription on the work.
By the early twentieth century it entered the collection of Robert Lehman, whose holdings were later donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum accessioned it as part of the Robert Lehman Collection in 1975, where it remains held.
The Assumption of the Virgin by Bernardo Daddi is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work was formerly owned by Robert Lehman before entering the museum's holdings. While the exact inventory or accession number is not specified in the provided sources, the painting is cataloged within the museum's collection under the description of a tempera on panel work depicting the Assumption of Mary.
Context
The Assumption of the Virgin, executed in tempera on panel in 1338, is recorded as a religious painting by Bernardo Daddi. The composition depicts the Assumption of Mary and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, formerly part of the Robert Lehman collection. Its dimensions measure 108 cm by 136.8 cm, reflecting the scale typical of early trecento devotional works.
As a documented example of Daddi’s religious output, the piece contributes to the understanding of 14th‑century Italian panel painting and its emphasis on Marian subjects.
Overview
Created by Bernardo Daddi in 1338, The Assumption of the Virgin is a tempera painting from the early Italian Renaissance. Daddi, a prominent artist in Florence, depicted a central religious narrative. This work showcases the stylistic developments of its era, moving towards greater naturalism while retaining the spiritual focus characteristic of devotional art from the period. It is now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardo Daddi (c. 1280 – 1348) was an early Italian Renaissance painter and the leading painter of Florence of his generation. He was one of the artists who contributed to the revolutionary art of the Renaissance,…
