성모승천(The assumption of the Virgin). Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerpen(성모마리아 대성당). 안트웨르펜(Antwerpen)

성모승천(The assumption of the Virgin).

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerpen.

(Cathedral Of Our Lady. 성모마리아 대성당)

안트웨르펜(Antwerpen). 벨기에(Belgium)

Peter Paul Rubens
It is evident that the imposing oil painting (490 x 325 cm), which has adorned the high altar for nearly four hundred years, is dedicated to the patroness of the Cathedral. That it depicts the assumption of the Virgin is also self-evident. Although the theme derives from church tradition and is not based on the Bible itself, it was nevertheless especially popular when Rubens made this altarpiece in 1625-1626. Borne up by a cloud of playful cherubs, light as a feather, with fluttering hair and gown, eyes expectantly turned toward heaven, Mary rises upward from her stone tomb. To the left, two large angels fly in to crown her with a garland of roses. Below, near the abandoned grave, are the twelve apostles and the three women who according to legend were present at Mary’s death.

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