Dormition of the Virgin
by ANGELICO, Fra, Tempera and gold on panel, 19 x 50 cm
The picture shows one of the predella panels of the Coronation of the Virgin.
The Coronation of the Virgin was painted by Fra Angelico for the church of the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. Although the original frame of the altarpiece is lost, the two panels that formed its predella have been identified. They represent the Marriage of the Virgin, which theologians regarded as a prefiguration of the Coronation, and the Dormition of the Virgin, which immediately precedes the Coronation. Each scene displays Angelico’s command of perspective, nuanced portrayal of emotion and radiant colour.