Scripture · Matthew 16:13-19
Song of Solomon 6:10
The Assumption of the Virgin
Who is this who shines like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as the stars in procession?
Mary rises with outstretched arms above the apostles and an open tomb, surrounded by angels with a crescent moon beneath her.
About the artwork
El Greco divides the image between an earthly gathering and an upward movement. The open tomb gives the apostles a place to look and react, while Mary’s red and blue clothing carries attention into the brighter company above. Her extended arms open the figure as the surrounding angels lift the direction of the whole scene.
Painted in 1577–1579, this was the central image of El Greco’s first major Spanish commission, for Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. It stood below a painting of the Trinity, with saints on either side. The donor’s and commissioner’s tombs occupied the space before the high altar. In that setting, the apostles’ empty tomb and Mary’s rising body brought the hope of salvation into a place where actual people were buried.
Featured in: The Life of the Virgin Mary in Paintings
What does Song of Solomon 6:10 mean?
Song of Solomon 6:10 praises a radiant figure through comparisons with dawn, moon and sun. Within the poem these words belong to the admiration of the beloved. Their application to Mary comes through later devotional interpretation rather than a direct account of the Assumption.
El Greco’s luminous upward movement and crescent moon make that traditional pairing visually persuasive. The poem supplies a language of beauty and radiance, while the painting supplies a distinct Marian subject. Keeping their original settings clear allows the comparison to enrich the image without making the verse a narrative of Mary’s ascent.
The moon and radiant rising figure echo imagery from the Song of Solomon as it has been applied to Mary in Christian devotion.
Sources
The Life of the Virgin Mary in Paintings. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
Song of Solomon 6 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for Song of Solomon 6:10.
Art Institute of Chicago — original altarpiece setting. Exact canvas, first major Spanish commission, surrounding retable panels and the tombs of María de Silva and Diego de Castilla before the high altar.
Also from Song of Solomon:The Mystic FlowerThe Artist’s Garden at Giverny
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