Ascension in an Initial V 1339 - 1353

This is Niccolò di ser Sozzo’s “Ascension in an Initial V,” an illuminated manuscript leaf, likely crafted in the mid-14th century. Dominating the image is the ascending Christ, framed within a “V,” a visual echo of his triumph over earthly bounds. Below, the Virgin Mary and two figures gaze upwards, their gestures of awe mirroring humanity’s collective wonder at the divine spectacle. This motif of upward gaze is found across cultures. Consider the figures in ancient Egyptian art, their eyes fixed on celestial deities. The ascension motif echoes through time, resurfacing during the Renaissance and the Baroque eras, each time inflected with the cultural and emotional sensibilities. This persistent image speaks to humanity's timeless quest for transcendence, an emotional and psychological yearning encoded in our collective memory, manifesting itself in art across the ages.