The Three Marys at the Sepulchre: Upper Tier Panel

This panel comes from an altarpiece made for the church of San Pier Maggiore in Florence, and belongs to a sequence of narrative scenes showing events from Christ's birth, the Resurrection and his ascension to heaven. They appeared above the three panels of the main tier, which show the coronation of the Virgin surrounded by adoring saints.

This scene shows three of Jesus's followers at his tomb. They carry jars with spices to anoint his body, according to the Jewish custom. The tomb, however, is open and visibly empty. Two angels, one sitting on the tomb, appear to the women. According to the biblical account in the Gospel of Luke they ask, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' and explain how Jesus has risen from his tomb, overcoming death.

These images come from a large, four-tiered altarpiece created for the high altar of the choir of the church of San Pier Maggiore in Florence. It was made up of a number of separate panels, most of which are now in the National Gallery's collection.

Although only the facade of the church remains today, it was one of the oldest and most important religious institutions in Florence when this altarpiece was made. It was founded by the first bishop of Florence, Saint Zenobius, in the fifth century. The picture formed the backdrop to one of the ceremonies relating to the ordination of each bishop of Florence until the late sixteenth century.

The altarpiece was most probably commissioned by the wealthy Florentine Albizzi family and many of its saints relate to their family or their trade as wool merchants. The central images showed the coronation of the Virgin by Christ surrounded by adoring saints - a highly popular image in Florence.

Credit: Bought, 1857