The Institution of the Rosary

This relief panel shows Jesus crowning the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven. Angels surround and support both figures. Some hold rosaries, strings of beads celebrating events in the Virgin’s life and used to count prayers in her honor. The style of the elaborate frame was incredibly popular for both small and large artworks; the type became known as the “Sansovino frame” in reference to Jacopo Sansovino, one of the most influential Italian sculptors and designers in 16th-century Venice and the likely maker of this object.