Assumption of the Virgin

As his byname suggests, the painter Andrea del Castagno (before 1419–1457) came from Castagno near Florence. In 1449 he was commissioned to paint this altarpiece for the Florentine church of San Miniato fra le Torri. The painting shows the Virgin being taken up into heaven, three days after her death.

The Mother of God is dressed in a nun’s habit, her hands clasped in prayer. Seated on an aureole of fiery, orange-red clouds, she looks expectantly upwards.

Four angels in flight are carrying the aureole up out of an empty sarcophagus, their robes billowing decoratively.

Unusually, the flying angel on the lower left is depicted from behind.

Roses and lilies bloom in the sarcophagus. According to the Golden Legend, a collection of 13th century hagiographies, these flowers surrounded the apostles as they waited by Mary’s tomb for her assumption. Roses are the symbol of martyrs, while lilies symbolise angels and virgins.

In this symmetrical composition, two saints stand, one on either side of Mary. Both appear as young knights, posing elegantly in fine garments.

St Julian the Hospitaller, looking out from the picture, was a young Christian knight and martyr.

He holds his attribute, a sword, with both hands. The sword alludes to the fact that Julian murdered his parents by mistake. To do penance, he built a hostel and cared for the poor. In Florence at the time when this picture was painted, he was honoured as the patron saint of inns.

Minias, looking up at Mary, was the patron saint of the church for which the altarpiece was made. According to legend, he was a soldier who was beheaded around 250 AD close to the city.

A later tradition held that Minias was an Armenian prince, which is why in this picture he is holding a sceptre and wearing a crown, above which his halo, depicted in perspective, reflects the flaming glory of the clouds.

In the middle of the 15th century, it is surprising to find two apparently contradictory elements in the same altarpiece: the gold, medieval background, and the square format, typical of the Renaissance. This was undoubtedly a choice made by the patron, who wanted to appear progressive without abandoning the tradition.