# Ascension of St John [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [DONATELLO]() - Date: 1401-1450 - Technique: Polychrome stucco, diameter 215 cm ## Commentary In the pendentive roundels the harshness of the scheme is sharpened by a daring experiment in perspective which creates large spaces in which human figures and architectural details take on dramatic effects of light and shade. In the tondo showing the Ascension of St John, the actual main events are taking place on the upper edge of the relief. Otherwise, the composition is dominated by a complicated depiction of architecture, within which a very diverse gathering of observers is watching the miraculous events with astonishment. In contrast to the other reliefs, we get a worm's-eye view of the scene. The power of the ascension is being emphasized by the foreshortenings. ## Related artworks - [Altarpiece with St John the Baptist]() - [Annunciation \(detail\)]() - [Annunciation \(detail\)]() - [Annunciation \(detail\)]() - [Annunciation \(detail\)]() - [Annunciation \(detail\)]() - [Annunciation]() - [Annunciation]() - [Annunciation]() - [Annunciation]() - [Ascension of Christ]() - [Atys \(front view\)]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()