The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Sketch for "The Assumption of the Virgin" (for St. James, Zbraslav, near Prague)?

c. 1744

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

(Italian, 1682–1754)

Italy, 18th century

oil on canvas

Framed: 85 x 51.5 x 6.5 cm (33 7/16 x 20 1/4 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 71.6 x 38.2 cm (28 3/16 x 15 1/16 in.)

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. N. Lester Farnacy 1955.165

Location: not on view

Description

According to Roman Catholic theology, the Assumption is the movement of the Virgin Mary's body and soul into heaven. Thus the central figure of the Virgin dominates this scene of the Assumption, outstretching her arms and supported by two angels as she ascends into heaven. Below, saints surround the Virgin's tomb. St. Peter reaches for the foot of the ascending Virgin, suggesting a connection between heaven and earth. Giovanni Battista Piazzetta created this work as a sketch for his larger altarpiece commissioned in 1743 for the Church of St. James in Zbraslav, near Prague. The Assumption of the Virgin is a rare oil sketch by Piazzetta, and the larger composition adheres closely to this model. One difference between the sketch and the altarpiece is that the saints are illuminated more in the preliminary work. A divine light shines on the faces of the Virgin and the figures below her. Above the other figures, the Virgin appears remote and focuses on heaven as she looks upwards and beyond the painting's borders. The grouping of the figures in the center of this painting creates a vast surrounding space which fittingly gives this altarpiece sketch a sense of monumentality.

1955-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
UNtil 1955
Dr. and Mrs. N. Lester Farnacy, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
?
(Alessandro Morandotti [1909-1979] Rome)
1950
Hans Dietrich Gronau [1904-1951] or Carmen Groneau [1910-1999], London1
1950
(Mrs. Tancred Borenius sale, Sotheby’s, London, June 7, 1950, lot 126, sold to Gronau)
1948-1950
Anne-Marie Rüneberg Borenius, Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, consigned to Sotheby’s
Until 1948
Tancred Borenius [1885-1948], London, by descent to his wife, Anne-Marie Rüneberg1
Provenance Footnotes
1 1The price list for the 1950 Sotheby's sale lists "Gronau" as the buyer of this painting. Gronau could refer either to Hans Dietrich Gronau, an art historian, or his wife, Carmen, who would later become head of the Old Master Paintings department at Sotheby's, London. A "Mrs. Gronau" appears in the Getty Provenance Index database in the provenance of a sculpture in the National Gallery, London.
2 1In 1955, art dealer Francis Matthiesen wrote to CMA curator Henry Sayles Francis: “I remember the “Assumption of the Virgin” really well - I saw it many times in Tancred Borenius’ house.”
Sotheby's (Firm). Old Master Drawings and Paintings. June 7, 1950.
Sotheby's (Firm). Old Master Drawings and Paintings. June 7, 1950.
Sotheby's (Firm). Old Master Drawings and Paintings. 1950.
Sotheby's (Firm). Old Master Drawings and Paintings. 1950.
Francis Matthiesen, letter to Henry Sayles Francis, Nov. 9, 1955, in CMA curatorial file.
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 143 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 143 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 142 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Mentioned: p. 389-391; Reproduced: p. 390
Provenance Footnotes
1 1The price list for the 1950 Sotheby's sale lists "Gronau" as the buyer of this painting. Gronau could refer either to Hans Dietrich Gronau, an art historian, or his wife, Carmen, who would later become head of the Old Master Paintings department at Sotheby's, London. A "Mrs. Gronau" appears in the Getty Provenance Index database in the provenance of a sculpture in the National Gallery, London.
2 1In 1955, art dealer Francis Matthiesen wrote to CMA curator Henry Sayles Francis: “I remember the “Assumption of the Virgin” really well - I saw it many times in Tancred Borenius’ house.”
From El Greco to Pollock: Early and Late Works of European and American Artists. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (organizer) (October 22-December 8, 1968).
Balitmore (Maryland) Museum of Art, October 22-December 8, 1968: " From El Greco to Pollock: Early and Late Works of European and American Artists," cat. no. 38, repr.
The Venetian Tradition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 8, 1956-January 1, 1957).
CMA, 1956: "The Venetian Tradition," cat. no. 28.
Akron Art Insitute, October 1-31, 1957: "Masterpieces Series,"
Provenance Footnotes
1 1The price list for the 1950 Sotheby's sale lists "Gronau" as the buyer of this painting. Gronau could refer either to Hans Dietrich Gronau, an art historian, or his wife, Carmen, who would later become head of the Old Master Paintings department at Sotheby's, London. A "Mrs. Gronau" appears in the Getty Provenance Index database in the provenance of a sculpture in the National Gallery, London.
2 1In 1955, art dealer Francis Matthiesen wrote to CMA curator Henry Sayles Francis: “I remember the “Assumption of the Virgin” really well - I saw it many times in Tancred Borenius’ house.”
{{cite web|title=Sketch for "The Assumption of the Virgin" (for St. James, Zbraslav, near Prague)?|url=false|author=Giovanni Battista Piazzetta|year=c. 1744|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Provenance Footnotes
1 1The price list for the 1950 Sotheby's sale lists "Gronau" as the buyer of this painting. Gronau could refer either to Hans Dietrich Gronau, an art historian, or his wife, Carmen, who would later become head of the Old Master Paintings department at Sotheby's, London. A "Mrs. Gronau" appears in the Getty Provenance Index database in the provenance of a sculpture in the National Gallery, London.
2 1In 1955, art dealer Francis Matthiesen wrote to CMA curator Henry Sayles Francis: “I remember the “Assumption of the Virgin” really well - I saw it many times in Tancred Borenius’ house.”

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