Plate 3: the Assumption of the Virgin 1678

Giuseppe Maria Mitelli created this print, "The Assumption of the Virgin", during the Baroque period. The Virgin Mary is depicted rising to heaven, surrounded by angels, while the apostles gaze upwards from below. The upward-reaching gesture is charged with yearning and awe, echoing similar gestures found in ancient Roman art, where figures often reached towards the heavens in supplication or triumph. Consider the halo, here a symbol of divine grace, which finds earlier echoes in the sun discs of ancient Egyptian deities or the aureoles surrounding figures in Byzantine mosaics. Over time, its meaning has been internalized in the Western psyche as an emblem of sanctity and enlightenment, a visual shorthand that transcends individual beliefs. The emotional power of the image lies in its invitation to contemplate humanity’s spiritual aspirations. Such archetypes, deeply embedded in our collective unconscious, continue to resonate, reminding us of our eternal quest for meaning and transcendence. These symbols resurface through history, evolving and accruing new layers of interpretation.