Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin 

Albrecht Durer made this compelling pen and ink drawing representing the 'Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin'. Durer was working in the highly charged religious environment of sixteenth-century Germany, where religious images were far from neutral. This drawing depicts the Virgin Mary rising to heaven, surrounded by angels, while the apostles gaze in awe from below. The visual codes are clear; the ascending Virgin signals the triumph of faith, while the apostles embody human witness. In Germany at this time, such imagery was fraught with theological and political implications. The Protestant Reformation was challenging the authority of the Catholic Church, and images of the Virgin were often flashpoints in these debates. They raised questions about the role of saints, the nature of divinity, and the power of religious institutions. Durer himself was navigating this complex landscape. To understand this drawing fully, historians would look to theological texts, pamphlets from the Reformation, and records of artistic patronage to understand the cultural context in which Durer was working. The meaning of art is contingent on its historical context.