The Coronation of the Virgin
circa 1541
16th century
87 cm x 71.5 cm (34 1/4 in. x 28 1/8 in.)
Giovanni Battista della Cerva
(Novara (?), Italy, circa 1515 - 1580, Milan, Italy)
Primary
Object Type:
painting
Artist Nationality:
Europe, Italian
Medium and Support:
Oil on wood panel
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Suida-Manning Collection, 2017
Accession Number:
2017.1036
Jesus crowns her mother Mary as God the Father gazes down from above and the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove. Playful cherubim in the wreath of cloud add to the jubilant mood. This theme represents the final episode in the life of Mary, when, according to the tradition of the Catholic Church, she was brought to heaven after death and crowned as Queen of Heaven. In order to set the scene for the celestial event, Giovanni Battista della Cerva creates an abstract space relying on colors associated with heaven (blue) and eternity (gold).