The Assumption of the Virgin altarpiece by Egid Quirin Asam located in the Kloster Rohr monastery church in Rohr, Germany from 1723 was inspired by Baroque architecture in Rome, specifically Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. It uses different textures like gold, cloth, and stone to create an illusionistic, theatrical setting representing the heavens and Mary's ascension with angels. Through borrowing techniques from ornate Baroque theater like staged backdrops, Asam aimed to magically transport viewers to the depicted holy scene within the church.
3. Background
• Inspired by Late Baroque architecture from
Rome (Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa)
• All about illusion and spectacle
• It is also supposed to represent a theatre
setting
4. Characteristics
• Yellow glass window to represent the heavens
• Gold painted rays off of the heavens and
dove
• Different textures (rays, cloth, gilded cloth, stone)
• Gilded Mary and ascending angels
• Theatre scenery effect/staged feel
7. Borrowing From Theatre
• Baroque and Late Baroque theatre = ornate and
luxuriously ornamented
• Idea was to create magic and illusions such as a 3D
looking backdrop
• Church’s idea was to create the depiction of a scene
in the church
