The

Ascension of Jesus The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate la, ascensio Iesu, lit=ascent of Jesus) is the Christian teaching that Christ physically departed from Earth by rising to Heaven, in the presence of eleven of his apostles. According to th ...

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

as stated in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

has been a frequent subject in

Christian art Christian art is sacred art which uses subjects, themes, and imagery from Christianity. Most Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, including early Christian art and architecture and Christian media. Images of Jesus and narrati ...

, as well as a theme in theological writings.''Encyclopedia of World Religions'' by Johannes P. Schade 2007, entry under Ascensio

/ref> The earliest direct depictions of the Ascension date to around the beginnings of the 5th century, often based on the Hand of God (art), Hand of God representations and by the 6th century the iconography had been established. In many depictions, (and always in the

Eastern Church Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...

) the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

is at the center of the group of Apostles (representing the Church) who look upwards towards the ascending Jesus who usually signals a blessing with his right hand.

Development of the iconography

New Testament scenes that appear in the

Early Christian art Early Christian art and architecture or Paleochristian art is the art produced by Christians or under Christian patronage from the earliest period of Christianity to, depending on the definition used, sometime between 260 and 525. In practice, id ...

of the 3rd and 4th centuries typically deal with the works and

miracles of Jesus The miracles of Jesus are miraculous deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian and Islamic texts. The majority are faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature. In the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), Jesus refuse ...

such as healings, the multiplication of the loaves or the

raising of Lazarus Lazarus of Bethany (Latinised from Lazar, ultimately from Hebrew Eleazar, "God helped"), also venerated as Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days Dead in the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the subject of a prominent sign of Jesus in the Gospel of John, ...

. Although versions of the subject of ''

Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory ( la, Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whos ...

'', which show the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven, appear earlier, the Ascension itself is not depicted until about 400. In early scenes Christ may be shown striding up a mountain, at times the Hand of God (art), Hand of God reaching from within the clouds to assist him. An ivory plaque in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and H ...

with such a scene is usually dated around 400, and is possibly the earliest Ascension image.Kerbrat, Pierre. "Ascension" in ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Volume 2'', Richard Barrie Dobson et al., p. 113, Routledge, 2000, This was to remain the most common type in the West for several centuries, and for example is repeated in the Drogo Sacramentary some 450 years later (see gallery). The crucifixion scene is virtually unknown in the 5th century and rare until the 6th century. By the 6th century, however, more images of both the Crucifixion and the Ascension began to appear, perhaps as a result of the theological discussions of the late 4th and early 5th centuries. The

Rabbula Gospels The Rabbula Gospels, or Rabula Gospels, (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, cod. Plut. I, 56) is a 6th-century illuminated Syriac Gospel Book. One of the finest Byzantine works produced in Asia, and one of the earliest Christian manuscrip ...

(c. 586) include some of the earliest images of the Crucifixion and Ascension, and in their Ascension depictions the Virgin Mary occupies a central position among the Apostles;Robin M. Jensen "Art in Early Christianity" in ''The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History'' by Robert Benedetto 2008 pp. 51–53 Christ appears in a

mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in t ...

above, accompanied by angels. This was to remain the standard

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantino ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonica ...

depiction. By the 6th century the iconography of the Ascension had been established and by the 9th century Ascension scenes were being depicted on domes of churches.''Festival Icons for the Christian Year'' by John Baggley 2000 pp. 137–138 In some representations there may be no mountain and he may be climbing a

, or be lifted towards Heaven in a mandorla by angels. In Romanesque depictions sometimes just the feet of Christ are shown as he disappears up into the clouds; this depiction was apparently a rare icongraphic innovation of

Anglo-Saxon art Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman ...

which spread to the continent and became the most popular in Northern Europe, where it lingered in provincial wood reliefs until well after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

. Sometimes the last two footprints of Christ on the rock are seen; these were shown to pilgrims at what is now the Chapel of the Ascension on the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The scene may also include the Apostles, two men in white and the Virgin Mary.''Medieval Art: a Topical Dictionary'' by Leslie Ross 1996 pp. 25–26 The Ascension of Jesus is not the only depiction of ascension and other figures, such as

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

, have been separately depicted as ascending to Heaven, following a medieval story in the ''

Golden Legend The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilar ...

''. The name of the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

indicates that this was a passive transit; depictions in art often show her being carried up on a cloud by angels.

Composition and meaning

Ascension scenes fall naturally into two zones, an upper heavenly part and a lower earthly part. The ascending Christ may be carrying a resurrection banner or make a sign of benediction with his right hand.''Renaissance Art: a Topical Dictionary'' by Irene Earls 1987 pp. 26–2

/ref> The blessing gesture by Christ with his right hand is directed towards the earthly group below him and signifies that he is blessing the entire Church. In the left hand he may be holding a

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

or a scroll, signifying teaching and preaching.''The Meaning of Icons'' by Leonide Ouspensky,

Vladimir Lossky Vladimir Nikolaievich Lossky (russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Ло́сский; 1903–1958) was a Russian Eastern Orthodox theologian exiled in Paris. He emphasized '' theosis'' as the main principle of Eastern Orthodox Christi ...

1999 p. 197 From the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

on the angels may not be present. The earthly part of the Ascension depictions do not only represent those believed to have been present at the Ascension, but the entire Church. In some Ascension depictions both

Apostle Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and the Virgin Mary may be present. Given Paul converted to Christianity after the Ascension, and that the New Testament does not directly place the Virgin Mary at the Ascension, these depictions represent "the Church" rather than the specific individuals. In Orthodox icons the Virgin Mary is at the center and Christ can be depicted in a mandorla, supported by angels. Christ may be crowned in many such depictions. Given that the Gospels do not mention that the Virgin Mary was a witness to the Ascension, her presence of the Virgin Mary in 5th and 6th century depictions of the Ascension such as those in the

are an indication of the important role she played in the art of that period. This approximate composition was to become typical in the West by the Renaissance. The

portrayal of the Ascension is a major

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

for the mystical nature of the Church. Orthodox tradition holds that the Virgin Mary was present during the Ascension and the

Great Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meaning " ...

of the Ascension state: "She who as your Mother suffered at your Passion more than all, should also enjoy the surpassing joy of the glorifying of your flesh." Thus in many Eastern icons the Virgin Mary is placed at the center of the scene in the earthly part of the depiction, with her hands raised towards Heaven, often accompanied by various Apostles.''The mystical language of icons'' by Solrunn Nes 2005 p. 87 The upwards looking depiction of the earthly group matches the Eastern

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

on the

Feast of the Ascension The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (i.e., shared by ...

: "Come, let us rise and turn our eyes and thoughts high..." Icons are an inherent part of the liturgy of the

and icons of the Ascensions are used in the procession on the feast of the Ascension. Other scenes with a similar raised figure, that used similar compositions to the Ascension are the

, rare until the late Middle Ages, the

Transfiguration of Jesus In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it (). In these ...

, and from the Early Renaissance the Resurrection of Jesus, where he begins to be seen floating clear of the tomb. Perhaps the earliest surviving works to show this iconography of the Resurrection is the well-known

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of Mural, mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the ...

Andrea da Firenze Andreas de Florentia (also known as Andrea da Firenze, Andrea de' Servi, Andrea degli Organi and Andrea di Giovanni; died 1415) was a Florentine composer and organist of the late medieval era. Along with Francesco Landini and Paolo da Firenze ...

in the Spanish Chapel of the

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The ch ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, which dates to 1366.Elly Cassee, Kees Berserik and Michael Hoyle, ''The Iconography of the Resurrection: A Re-Examination of the Risen Christ Hovering above the Tomb'', 1984,

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation sin ...

, Vol. 126, No. 970 (Jan., 1984), pp. 20–2
JSTOR
/ref>

Gallery

Western church

Paintings and mosaic

File:Giotto - Scrovegni - -38- - Ascension.jpg, Giotto, 14th century File:Andrea Mantegna 012.jpg,

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in ord ...

, 1461 File:Pietro Perugino cat48c.jpg,

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Earl ...

, San Pietro Polyptych, 1496–1500 File:Himmelfahrt Christi.jpg, 16th century, German "disappearing feet" File:Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo - Ascension of Christ - WGA08474.jpg, Garofalo, 1510–1520 File:Rembrandt van Rijn 192.jpg,

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consi ...

, 1636 File:The Ascension) by Benjamin West, PRA.jpg,

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', '' The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawi ...

1801 File:ND Rosaire mosaïque 03.jpg,

Rosary Basilica The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (french: Notre Dame du Rosaire de Lourdes) is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Its main theme is a celebration and depiction of the Rosary. H ...

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...

, 19th century

Illuminated manuscripts

File:Enluminure Drogon c.jpg, Drogo Sacramentary, c. 850 File:BambergApocalypse10Ascension.JPG,

Bamberg Apocalypse The Bamberg Apocalypse (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Bibl.140) is an 11th-century richly illuminated manuscript containing the pictorial cycle of the Book of Revelation and a Gospel Lectionary of the books of pericopes. This medieval illuminated ma ...

, 11th century File:Folio 184r - The Ascension.jpg,

Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (; en, The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) or Très Riches Heures, is the most famous and possibly the best surviving example of manuscript illumination in the late phase of the International Goth ...

, c. 1410 File:Bottega di domenico ghirlandaio, ascensione, antifonario edili 148 f. 47v. biblioteca medicea laurenziana.jpg, Workshop of Ghirlandaio, 15th century

Relief depictions

File:Himmelfahrt Christi BNM MA158.jpg,

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

(?) ivory relief, 8th century File:Himmelfahrt Christi c 800.jpg, Unusual

or Alpine, ivory box cover, c. 750–800, with Mary and the Evangelists' symbols File:Ribe domkirke - Kanzel 6 Himmelfahrt.jpg, A rather late version of the "disappearing feet" depiction in wood relief, 1597 File:Aulendorf Pfarrkirche Stuckdecke Christi Himmelfahrt.jpg, Christ ascending alone,

Aulendorf Aulendorf () is a town in the district of Ravensburg, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated southwest of Biberach an der Riß, and north of Ravensburg. Aulendorf exists of the town itself along with the incorporated villages Tannh ...

, Germany, 1711

Eastern church

Icons and mosaic

File:Dome_de_saint_sava_avec_christ_pantocrator.jpg, Biggest mosaic of Ascension of Jesus in Christian world which weighs 40 tons in central dome of Saint Sava Cathedral in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...

File:The Ascension of Our Lord.jpg, 14th century Novgorod School File:Ascension from Vasilyevskiy chin (15th c., GTG).jpg,

Andrei Rublev Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...

, 1408 File:Ascension (Kirillo-Belozersk).jpg, St. Cyril-Belozersky Monastery, 1497 File:Voznesenie Sv. Petka Malovište.jpg, 19th century Macedonian icon, Bitola, Macedonia

References

{{Life of Jesus in Christian art Jesus in art Iconography of Jesus Christian iconography *