It is said Guido Reni (1575-1642) was the most famous Italian painter of his generation. He has done many paintings you'd probably recognize, most notably, the one with the Archangel Miachael in a jaunty pose defeating the devil. He painted practically nothing but masterpieces. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven was one of his favorite themes. We have chosen the one from 1642, firstly because it's what one of our customers, Andrew, requested from us, but also because we agree with him it is the most beautiful.

The Assumption of Mary was declared dogma by the Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, but Catholics had believed it for many centuries, even millennia, before then. Mary was drawn up into Heaven, body and soul, without suffering death. Death is the consequence of original sin, which she was not stained with. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven under his own power (e.g., "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord, that I may take it up again." John 10:18), but Mary was lifted up, i.e., assumed into Heaven, by the power of her Son. The Assumption is the Fourth Glorious Myster of the Rosary.

This was one of the last paintings Reni did in his life. Oil on canvas. 295 x 208 cm. It is housed at the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich, Germany.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border all around the image of about .5" for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17". All Approx! The white space gives the framed picture a finished look without using a mat.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson