Inventory Number
R2023.07
Artist
Anonymous
Title
The Annunciation
Object Date
Late 17th Century
Country of Origin
Greece
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 2023, the Gordon B. Lankton Collections Fund
Provenance
Sold by Schloss Ahlden Fine Art Auctioneers, Germany, 2023
Keywords
Angel, Archangel, Gabriel, Mary, Mother of God, God the Father, Holy Spirit
Metric Dims
44 x 36.5 cm
Medium
Egg tempera on wood, gold leaf
“And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.’ ” (Luke 1:30-31) Mary turns to receive the strange message and as she does so raises her hand in consent: “behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) This bright icon, painted off the western coast of Greece in the sunbathed Ionian Islands, grants an energetic joy to Mary’s conception.
Above the pair, God the Father breaks through the golden firmament sending forth the dove of the Holy Spirit. The painter of this panel beautifully balances the fantastical Renaissance buildings and classical naturalism of the bodies with the elegance of Byzantine forms in creating an image that is at once celebratory and contemplative.
