Assumption of Mary

Van Balen employed the luminous qualities of copper as a support, allowing the pigments to achieve a warm, glowing finish. Light falls sharply on the faces and garments, creating a contrast with the darker background that heightens the three‑dimensional effect. The handling of light and shadow reflects a restrained chiaroscuro typical of early Flemish Baroque.

A native of Antwerp, van Balen was active in the early seventeenth century and is known for small‑scale cabinet paintings. The *Assumption of Mary* entered the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s holdings, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Flemish Baroque collection.

The work belongs to a period when Flemish artists were revitalising religious imagery after the Counter‑Reformation. Van Balen, who also taught artists such as Anthony van Dyck, contributed to this renewal by integrating devotional subjects with the refined, intimate format suited to private devotional settings.