in this circle, and notice that one is a woman. This is
Mary, the mother of Jesus, who had lived with John since the day of
the Crucifixion. It was the express wish of Jesus that the beloved
disciple should regard her as a mother. Thus it is not unnatural to
suppose that the two would come together to Bethany at this time, and
kneel side by side, as we see them here. Mary looks as young as when
she held her babe in her arms, and she has the same happy expression.
It is not possible to make out who the others are. We fancy that the
two beardless young men at the right are Thomas and Philip, because
they are thought to have been younger than the other disciples.

The figure of the Saviour is noble and dignified, the attitude full of
buoyancy. The face is such as from long association we have come to
identify with the person of Christ, benignant and refined. He looks
not up into the glory towards which he is ascending, but his glance
still lingers upon the disciples with an expression of tender
solicitude. An oval frame of radiating lines surrounds his entire
figure. It is the _mandorla_, or almond-shaped nimbus, which was the
old artistic symbol of divine glory.

We have already noticed some of the characteristics of Luca della
Robbia's art, which are again illustrated in this work. The draperies
are arranged with a simplicity of line which is almost severe. The
folds are scanty, clinging to the figure and following the fine
outlines of the pose. The figures are white, set off against the blue
of the sky, and green, brown, and yellow are introduced in the
landscape surroundings.

The bas-relief is one of two lunettes placed over opposite doors in
the cathedral of Florence. The companion subject is the Resurrection,
and in both pieces the sculptor went beyond his usual limit in the
number of figures making up the composition. The leading quality of
his work is decorative, and he seldom applied his art to the
illustration of story. We are the more interested in his remarkable
success in these instances.

A painter would naturally have brought out the more dramatic features
of the Ascension, showing the excitement and confusion of the moment.
Luca knew well that sculpture was unsuited for violent action, and he
sought rather to convey a sense of repose in his work. Moreover he
infused a devotional spirit into the scene which he seldom attained.
Marcel-Reymond says that only in Fra Angelico's work can one find
figures e