Assumption of the Blessed Virgin

In the final period of his career, Martino Altomonte combined his rendering of the side-altarpiece (1728) in Kefermarkt parish church with the high-altarpiece (1737) in the Abbey church of Wilhering into a new version of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
The Counter-Reformation brought a resurgence of Marian veneration, manifested in painting by countless works depicting scenes from the Virgin’s life, particularly of the Assumption. This subject, already popular in the Middle Ages, is mostly associated with her death or her coronation in Heaven.
Martino Altomonte shows the Assumption in the three-section structure typical of the Baroque. In the earthly zone, the disciples are gathered round the empty tomb, some looking incredulously into the abandoned sarcophagus, others gazing at the Virgin ascending heavenwards on a cloud, surrounded by angels. At the top is the Holy Trinity, Father and Son seated on a cloud, with the Holy Spirit, the dove of peace, hovering
above them. The eye contact between Jesus, God the Father and the Virgin anticipates her Assumption into heaven. Her earthly life as a mortal is over; her life in heavenly glory is about to begin.
The zones are distinguished by their colouration and the emphasis on lighter or darker areas. The disciples’ garments are painted in warm, earthy shades, while the Virgin, Jesus and God are clothed in delicate pastel tones. The earthly scene is dark, to balance the Ascension in bright divine light. In keeping with the baroque idea of chiaroscuro, the structure takes the Ascension from the shade into the light.

DUCKE Astrid: Altomonte Martino, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, in: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, p. 94