Annunciation of the Death; Dormition of the Virgin

The Master of Riglos's Annunciation of the Death and Dormition of the Virgin, painted around 1450 and now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, depicts two linked episodes from the apocryphal narrative of the Virgin's death: the angel's announcement to Mary that she will soon die, and the peaceful falling-asleep (Dormition) of the Virgin surrounded by the assembled Apostles. These scenes formed part of the cycle of the Virgin's last days that was popular throughout medieval and Renaissance iconography, particularly in Aragonese retables.

Tempera on panel with gold ground. Two scenes are depicted in adjacent registers — the angel announcing the Virgin's death and the dormition with assembled apostles. Figures have the compressed spatial logic of Spanish retable painting, prioritizing clarity of action over illusionistic depth.