Circle of Pedro Machuca

Circle of PEDRO MACHUCA (Toledo, ca. 1490-Granada, 1550); 16th century.
"The Assumption of the Virgin.
Oil on panel.
The original frame is preserved.
It shows faults and losses on the pictorial surface.
It shows damage caused by xylophages.
Measurements: 187 x 104 cm; 204 x 119 cm (frame).
It is a composition full of movement and dynamism, where each one of the characters is studied individually and as a whole, showing different postures and planes. This mastery in the profusion of figures and the mastery of a complex composition. This majestic panel depicts the Assumption of the Virgin, carried body and soul into Heaven, in a triumphal and scenographic manner. Behind her is the Glory, represented by a faint divine light, an elaborate break in the margins of which we see angels in different positions, some looking towards the earth and others towards the Virgin. On the earthly plane, clearly differentiated from the heavenly plane by the line of clouds, the figures gather around the Virgin's open tomb. They are the apostles who, having witnessed Mary's death, marvel at her Assumption. Some of them are depicted with their backs to the tomb, closing a circular composition defined around the tomb, classical and orderly despite the apparent crowding of the figures in favour of the theatricality and, above all, the dynamism of the scene. Most of the figures are shown looking up towards the sky, with their hands raised in surprise as well as veneration, a skilful aspect of the narrative. We see how Mary does not ascend to heaven by her own means, like Christ, but is raised to Paradise by the angels. As is customary in Western art, the artist depicts her bodily Assumption outside the tomb where the apostles had buried her. Formally the work falls within the circle of Pedro Machuca, who is chiefly remembered as the Spanish architect responsible for the design of the Palace of Charles V (begun in 1528) adjacent to the Alcazar in Granada. The details of his life are little known. Born in Toledo, he is said to have been a pupil or friend of Michelangelo and Pontormo. His presence is documented in Italy as early as 1517, when he signed The Virgin and the Souls in Purgatory (Prado), whose style has led him to be associated with the workshop of Raphael. On his return to Spain in 1520, he worked as a painter in the Royal Chapel of Granada, as well as in Jaén, Toledo and Uclés.