2. The Apostles Bid Farewell to Mary

hen she learns of her approaching death, Mary prays that the Apostles would come that she might see them one last time.  The TRANSITUS MARIAE tells of their coming on clouds from the places where their missions have taken them.  At this time Mary gives the palm to John and warns the Apostles that the Jews will attempt to dishonor her body as it is being carried to the grave.

The York Psalter shows Mary giving the palm to John.  Peter stands slightly behind John,  and behind him is a group of three Jews.

The York Psalter is an English manuscript of the twelfth century now in the Hunterian Museum of Glasgow, Scotland.

uccio pictures this arrival twice.  In the one scene, we see the Apostles at the left, greeting one another as they arrive.  Peter, a white-bearded figure, shakes hands with Paul, often portrayed as bald.  At the right, John kneels before Mary.  Behind her is the palm, studded with stars, that she will give John to carry.

The second scene shows Mary sitting up in the bed, surrounded by the Apostles.  John is at her right, holding the palm branch.  Peter sits at her left, looking into the distance, while Paul stands, gesturing with his hand as if addressing the group.

These two scenes appear at the top of the front face of Duccio's masterpiece, the Maesta, an altarpiece created for the Cathedral of Siena between 1308-1311.  While parts of it have disappeared and eight panels are in museums elsewhere, most of the work is now housed in the Museum of the Cathedral of Siena.