Federico Barocci (Italian, Urbino ca. 1535–1612 Urbino), The Assumption of the Virgin, 1604–1605. Oil on canvas, 94 1/8 × 67 5/16 in. (239 × 171 cm). Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino © Scala / Art Resource, NY

Barocci, perhaps the greatest Italian painter of his generation, was famed for the careful study that went into the design of his altarpieces. This Assumption, in which the Virgin rises to heaven surrounded by the Apostles, was left in the artist’s studio in Urbino at his death and described in an inventory as "almost half done." Painting on a canvas with his characteristically dark ground, Barocci had already worked out the major color harmonies and set down the complex poses of the figures, studied in drawings as well. Despite its incomplete state, the painting was admired by the artist’s contemporaries, one of whom called it "a splendor."

This work is exhibited in the “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible” exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer