Death of the Virgin

myminifactory

At the moment of her death, Mary is surrounded by the twelve disciples. In a priest-like gesture, Peter dips a brush in a basin of holy water that he will sprinkle on Mary. The ritualistic dimension of the scene is underlined by the processional cross and funerary candle in the background. Until well into the nineteenth century, deaths that did not occur suddenly had a public and ceremonial character; surrounded by members of society, the dying person commended his or her soul to God and received absolution. From the workshop of Michael Pacher (workshop), Tirrol (Austria)