Ascension

The original, glazed terracotta tympanum was made for the Duomo in Florence by Luca della Robbia between 1446 and 1451. The relief was to be placed above an entrance to one of the sacristies (Sagrestia dei Canonici). A pendant depicting the Resurrection had been made by the sculptor for the tympanum of the other sacristy (Sagrestia delle Messe) a few years earlier. In the Ascension, Luca portrayed the apostles and the Virgin in the same posture — kneeling around Christ — but with individual facial expressions and hand movements. In the middle of the carefully constructed composition, in front of Christ’s ascending figure, the circle formed by the apostles and the Virgin begins to open, thereby inviting viewers of the work to partake in the miracle.