The Assumption
Church of St. Julian (San Zulián), Venice, Italy
In most ways this is a conventional image of the Assumption. Angels bear Mary aloft while several Apostles look with surprise into her empty sarcophagus. But on the steps are details that are common not in Assumptions but in Dormition images: the censer in one Apostle's hand and the book,
aspergillum,
a hand-held device for sprinkling people or objects with holy water
and
situla
a bucket for the aspergillum and holy water used in sprinkling people or objects, also called an "aspersorium"
on the lowest step.
When I took the photograph I neglected to note down the date and the artist's name. The gestures, the putti, and the overall style suggest a date in the 18th or late 17th century.
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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.