Assumption of the Virgin with Old Testament Figures, 1776-1779. Gaetano Gandolfi. Oil on canvas. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Larrick Ward.
Here, in Gandolfi's Assumption of the Virgin, we see a final burst of Italian Baroque energy before the advent of the new discipline and restraint of Neoclassicism. The Virgin is shown ascending into heaven, hailed by the Archangel Gabriel with a palm. Among the Old Testament figures below, the most prominent are Joshua with his sword, Moses with the tablets of the Law, and David with his harp. This is a finished study for one-half of a fresco in the cupola of the church of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna.
