Death of the Virgin

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The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common theme in Western Christian art, equivalent to the Dormition in Eastern Orthodox art. It became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roman Catholic Church from the late Middle Ages onwards. Although that doctrine avoids stating whether Mary was alive or dead when she was bodily taken up to Heaven, she is normally shown in art as alive. There is no Biblical authority for the scene, but Christian legend had it that all the twelve Apostles were miraculously assembled from their far-flung missionary activity to be present at the death, and that is the scene normally depicted, with the apostles gathered round the bed. A virtuoso engraving by Martin Schongauer was highly influential on most later depictions.[1] Earlier depictions usually followed the standard Byzantine image, with the Virgin lying on a simple bed across the front of the picture space.

A prominent, and late, example of the motif's use is Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio.