Trânsito da virgem 1525

Cristóvão de Figueiredo painted ‘Trânsito da Virgem’ in Portugal, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. This is the moment of the Virgin Mary’s death, surrounded by the twelve apostles. Notice how some hold books, emphasizing scripture and learning, while others prepare her body for its ascent to heaven. As a court painter, Figueiredo would have been keenly aware of the power of images to project authority. In a time of religious reform and challenges to papal power, the artist here reaffirms the central importance of the Virgin Mary. Her death, and assumption into heaven, signals the endurance of traditional Christian teaching. We can see the influence of northern European painting. The historian uses official documents, personal letters, and institutional records to gain a better understanding of this artwork and its world. Close attention to the social and institutional context in which art is made reminds us that it’s never neutral.