throughmirrorA different way of seeing
Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome — A painted dome becomes a swirling ascent into heaven.
Look closely. Let the image settle.
Illusions in painting / 1526–1530

Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome

A painted dome becomes a swirling ascent into heaven.

TRY THIS

Follow the spiral of figures upward, thinking about the view from the cathedral floor.

FOLLOW THE SOURCES

History, evidence & image credit

THE IMAGE IN THIS ARCHIVE

Livioandronico2013

Original file & attribution · CC BY-SA 4.0

This locally stored image is a Wikimedia Commons rendition (resized or rendered from the source file). The full original is linked from the source record. Gallery previews may be resized or converted to WebP; animated previews show the first frame.

Download image

Frequently asked questions

What is Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome?

A painted dome becomes a swirling ascent into heaven.

What should I look for in Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome?

Follow the spiral of figures upward, thinking about the view from the cathedral floor.

What explains Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome?

Extreme foreshortening and circular movement arrange the bodies as though seen from below. Painted clouds soften the sense of a solid architectural boundary.

Another way to see it

Explore this category
The Ambassadors — A double portrait with a skull that emerges from an oblique view.

The Ambassadors

Hans Holbein the Younger

A double portrait with a skull that emerges from an oblique view.

Vertumnus — Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

Vertumnus

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome — A painted dome becomes a swirling ascent into heaven.

Assumption of the Virgin — Parma Dome