Description
A successful and popular altarpiece painter, Bergognone worked for the major churches of Lombardy, including the Incoronata in Lodi and the Certosa in Pavia. This painting, dating from the early 16th century, formed the central panel of a large polyptych. His delicacy is typical of his work.
The metal stars on the Virgin's dress are probably later additions.
The Assumption of Mary is a belief held by Christians that the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, was physically taken up into heaven. Dating from the early 16th century, this image was probably Bergognone's first treatment of this subject, and was the central panel of a large polyptych. His delicacy is typical of his work, and there is the influence of Leonardo's facial types. The metal stars on the Virgin's mantle and the gold spandrels are later additions, while the gilding on the letters in the halos has almost completely disappeared.
Ambrogio Borgognone, known as Ambrogio da Fossano, Ambrogio di Stefano da Fossano, Ambrogio Stefani da Fossano or as il Bergognone (c. 1470 - 1523/1524), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Milanese school. Although he was almost a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, he painted in a style more akin to the pre-Renaissance Lombard art of Vincenzo Foppa and Bernardino Zenale. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His fame is mainly associated with his work on the Certosa di Pavia complex, made up of the church and the Carthusian convent.