Artwork
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Mariano Salvador Maella. It dates from 1701 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created by Mariano Salvador Maella, the painting utilizes oil on canvas to convey this sacred theme, focusing on the spiritual elevation of the central figure.
The work depicts the Assumption of Mary, serving as the main subject of this religious painting. As a piece of religious art, the composition illustrates the theological event of the Virgin Mary's bodily ascent into heaven. The iconography includes the depiction of a book, an element often associated with the Virgin's wisdom or scriptural connection in such narratives.
Created by Mariano Salvador Maella, the painting utilizes oil on canvas to convey this sacred theme, focusing on the spiritual elevation of the central figure.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 134 cm in height and 73 cm in width. It depicts the Assumption of Mary, holding a book, rendered in a religious composition typical of early 18th-century Spanish art. The painting belongs to the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is preserved as part of their religious art holdings.
History & Provenance
The Assumption of the Virgin is an oil painting on canvas created by the Spanish artist Mariano Salvador Maella. While one internal record lists the date as 1701, authoritative data indicates the work's inception occurred in 1750. The painting depicts the Assumption of Mary and includes a book as a secondary element within the religious composition.
The artwork currently resides in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it is held as part of the museum's holdings. The piece measures 134 cm in height and 73 cm in width. No specific details regarding the original commission or intermediate ownership history prior to its presence in the Prado are provided in the available records.
Overview
Mariano Salvador Maella’s The Assumption of the Virgin is an oil painting dated 1701. Executed in a Rococo idiom, the work portrays the Virgin Mary’s ascent to heaven surrounded by angels and onlookers. The canvas belongs to the Museo del Prado’s permanent collection, where it is displayed among the museum’s Spanish Baroque holdings.
Context
Created during a period when Spanish art was transitioning from the dramatic intensity of the Baroque toward a lighter, more decorative Rococo, the work exemplifies the era’s shift toward elegance and intimacy in religious subjects. Maella’s background in portraiture and fresco work informs the careful rendering of individual expressions among the onlookers, linking personal devotion with broader liturgical themes.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mariano Salvador Maella Pérez (21 August 1739 – 10 May 1819) was a Spanish painter known primarily for his portraits and religious frescoes.
