jim henson

This is a detail of a sculpture of The Assumption of the Virgin by Egid Quirin Asam who was an 18th century German sculptor and architect. Portraying the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, commemorated on Sunday, is not an easy thing to do in 3 dimensions. Somehow Mary is suspended in the air, wearing a gorgeously patterned gilt dress and being helped to heaven by 2 angels, wearing gold sandals and trailing golden robes.

When looking at the sculpture as a whole, we can see the sculpted clouds above her head as she is taken into heaven and below, the astonished disciples look up into the sky while one (Thomas, perhaps?) reaches into her tomb in disbelief.

The level of artistry in this piece is almost unfathomable. I never cease to be dumbfounded at the skill it must take to turn something like stone into a living form.

There is probably no one who has inspired more great art in the history of mankind, just might be the Blessed Virgin Mary.