The Dormition-Assumption

When George and Polly were asked to create a painting of Christ carrying his mother to Paradise, the commission posed an opportunity to explore the intersection between the Eastern and Western Christian traditions regarding the Virgin Mary’s entry into eternal life.

According to an early legend, the Apostle Thomas witnessed Mary’s body being taken to Heaven three days after her death. His testimony was corroborated when upon further investigation her tomb was found to contain only fragrant roses and lilies.

Artistic representations of this story in the Eastern churches have historically showcased Mary’s peaceful death and are therefore referred to as the “Dormition” icon (after the Latin term for “falling asleep”). In the West, by contrast, artists have typically highlighted the translation or “Assumption” of Mary’s body to Heaven.

George and Polly’s sublime 24x30” oil painting unites elements of both these traditions. It shares with the Western heritage a focus on the transfiguration of Mary’s earthly remains amid a shower of rose petals and the jubilation of an angelic escort. Like the Dormition icon, however, the Virgin’s body is not yet reunited with her soul and remains in the repose of death. Christ cradles the supple, uncorrupted flesh in a deliberate counterpoint to the motif of the Pietà: just as Mary tended to her Son’s corpse following his crucifixion, so now Jesus returns the favor, lovingly tending to His mother’s body and preparing it, not for a tomb, but for Heavenly glory.