Obviously the nuns of the church did not make a simple choice of one or the other design, but went rather for a mix-and-match of elements: the upper half largely following the oil sketch in the royal collection and the lower half that in the hermitage. The iconography differs: this is an assumption; the hermitage painting a coronation with music-making angels; this one has a sarcophagus tomb, that a cave in the rock. The most interesting variation occurs in the lighting: the hermitage panel shows a torch-lit, nearly night scene with a golden heaven; this panel shows a naturally lit evening scene with an azure heaven. Blue is the keynote colour. The other talent, which rubens would wish his patrons to appreciate here, is variety. Twelve apostles witness the same event and yet rubens finds twelve different postures and emotions for them to adopt. Object Type: painting, oil sketch. Genre: religious art. Date: between circa 1611 and circa 1612. Dimensions: height: 102.1 cm (40.1 in) ; width: 66.3 cm (26.1 in). Medium: oil on panel. Collection: Royal Collection. Rubens, Peter Paul - The Assumption of the Virgin - ca. 1611-1612
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