Above : Jesus Blessing / Below, centre : Saint Thomas receiving the Virgin's "Girdle" / To the sides : Saints Nicholas, Bartholomew, John the Baptist, Peter, Luke and Jerome

Sano di Pietro, a student of Sassetta, departs from the traditional iconography of the Assumption by replacing the Apostles by saints. Wrapped in a mandorla, the Virgin ascends to heaven accompanied by music-playing angels under the gaze of her son. In response to the prayer of St Thomas, the Virgin drops her belt as physical evidence of her Assumption. This narrative detail is an invitation to prayer, whereby the faithful can identify with the unbelieving Apostle.

Furthermore, since the middle of the 14th century, the Siena Hospital had housed a relic believed to be a fragment of the Virgin’s veil. In this devotional panel, the artist remains faithful to the preciousness of the International Gothic style, with its host of characters in elegant poses and its richly gilded decoration.