1744
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Sketch for "The Assumption of the Virgin" (for St. James, Zbraslav, near Prague)? is a 1744 unspecified by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a woman in white rising toward clouds, arms wide, while two angels lift her and saints watch from below. This is a quick sketch for a church altar, not the finished painting. The loose lines let you see how the artist tested poses before committing to paint. Look at Saint Peter—he’s reaching up, almost touching her foot, like a bridge between earth and sky. To see how this sketch became a full altar piece, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow shape the figures here.
According to Roman Catholic theology, the Assumption is the movement of the Virgin Mary's body and soul into heaven. Thus the central figure of the Virgin dominates this scene of the Assumption, outstretching her arms and supported by two angels as she ascends into heaven. Below, saints surround the Virgin's tomb. St. Peter reaches for the foot of the ascending Virgin, suggesting a connection between heaven and earth. Giovanni Battista Piazzetta created this work as a sketch for his larger altarpiece commissioned in 1743 for the Church of St. James in Zbraslav, near Prague. The Assumption of…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (also called Giambattista Piazzetta or Giambattista Valentino Piazzetta) (February 13, 1682 or 1683 – April 28, 1754) was an Italian Rococo painter of religious subjects and genre scenes.
See the richer artist page
