Artwork
Assumption of the Virgin
Assumption of the Virgin is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Martin Johann Schmidt. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Martin Johann Schmidt, often referred to as Kremser Schmidt, produced the etching *Assumption of the Virgin* in 1775. Executed on laid paper, the work presents a densely populated composition in which the Virgin Mary ascends amid clouds and angels, while a multitude of onlookers below gaze upward. The print exemplifies the religious iconography common to late‑Baroque Austrian art.
Subject & Meaning
The image illustrates the traditional Christian narrative of the Virgin’s assumption into heaven. At the uppermost part of the picture, a robed female figure hovers among celestial clouds, encircled by angelic beings. Beneath her, a varied group of figures—kneeling, standing, and reaching—direct their attention skyward, emphasizing the moment of divine elevation and the earthly response to it.
Technique & Style
The composition reflects a blend of dramatic Baroque arrangement with the refined detailing associated with northern Italian influences.
Created through the etching process, Schmidt incised the design onto a metal plate, then transferred the inked lines onto laid paper. The artist employs delicate cross‑hatching and tonal shading to suggest volume, giving the crowded figures a three‑dimensional presence despite the monochrome medium. The composition reflects a blend of dramatic Baroque arrangement with the refined detailing associated with northern Italian influences.
History & Provenance
Schmidt, a prominent Austrian painter and printmaker of the late Baroque and Rococo eras, was active mainly in Stein, Lower Austria, where he decorated numerous ecclesiastical interiors. The *Assumption of the Virgin* etching, dated 1775, bears his signature and title at the bottom, confirming its authorship. The print has circulated among collections of 18th‑century religious prints, illustrating Schmidt’s broader output beyond mural and altar work.
Artist & collection
Artist
Martin Johann Schmidt, called Kremser Schmidt or Kremserschmidt, (25 September 1718 – 28 June 1801), was one of the outstanding Austrian painters of the late Baroque/Rococo along with Franz Anton Maulbertsch.
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