This monumental altarpiece was executed by Andrea Mantegna for the high altar of the great church of Santa Maria in Organo in Verona. The powerful perspective foreshortening with which the figures are constructed is therefore motivated by the elevated position for which it was destined.
The altarpiece is painted in tempera on canvas with a very thin preparation that must originally have shone, thanks to the very fine gold line still visible today. A date and signature can be read on the cartouche in the singing angel's hand. The citrus trees laden with fruit and the groups of cherubs manage to temper the statuary character of the sacred characters and the decision to represent the Madonna not enthroned, but suspended in the sky is surprisingly innovative, as a clear reference to Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of the church.