Artwork
Study for "The Assumption of the Virgin" for San Augustín, Seville
Study for "The Assumption of the Virgin" for San Augustín, Seville is an oil painting by the Spanish Baroque Tenebrist artist Juan de Valdés Leal. It dates from 1671 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a religious work created in 1671, the study serves as a preparatory piece for a larger altarpiece intended for the church of San Agustín in Seville.
The painting depicts the Assumption of Mary, a central event in Christian iconography where the Virgin Mary is taken bodily into heaven. As a religious work created in 1671, the study serves as a preparatory piece for a larger altarpiece intended for the church of San Agustín in Seville. The subject matter reflects the Counter-Reformation emphasis on the glory and intercessory power of the Virgin, a common theme in Spanish Baroque art. The work functions as a technical study defining the composition and spiritual narrative for the final commission.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1671, this work is an oil painting on a panel support. The piece measures 40.3 cm in height and 26.6 cm in width. As a study for the larger altarpiece intended for San Agustín in Seville, the handling reflects the artist's preparatory process for a major religious commission. The formal qualities align with the Baroque religious genre, focusing on the Assumption of Mary.
History & Provenance
Juan de Valdés Leal executed this oil-on-panel study in 1671 as a preparatory work for the altarpiece of The Assumption of the Virgin destined for the convent of San Agustín in Seville. The painting is now housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum's holdings of Spanish religious art.
Overview
This oil painting by Juan de Valdés Leal, created in 1671, serves as a preparatory study for a larger altarpiece depicting the Assumption of the Virgin for the Church of San Augustín in Seville. The work captures a pivotal moment in Christian theology, rendered with a dramatic celestial composition. Now part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, it offers insight into the artist's creative process and his approach to religious narrative.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin
Allegorical Religious Scene with the Virgin Mary II
The Virgin as the Woman of the Apocalypse
The Glorification of Saint Dominic
The Coronation of the Virgin- Study for "The Assumption of the Virgin" for San Augustín, Seville