Artwork Page for The Annunciation

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The Annunciation

1380s
Measurements
Framed: 40.3 x 31.4 x 4.8 cm (15 7/8 x 12 3/8 x 1 7/8 in.)
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

In this depiction of Gabriel, the angel's wings resemble the feathers of a peacock.

Description

This small but opulent panel painting was once joined to another panel with hinges to form a diptych. Given its small size, its original function was for private devotional use. It could be folded like a book when not in use and was highly portable. The missing panel has not been positively identified but probably represented another biblical scene like the Crucifixion. The painting’s refined and ornate style reflects the courtly aesthetic that appealed to royal and aristocratic patrons in the decades around 1400. On the panel’s richly tooled reverse (not visible) are the arms of the house of Hainault quartered with those of Bavaria. While this coat of arms is certainly that of the work’s patron, probably a member of the united dynasties of Hainault and Bavaria, their identity remains elusive.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts the angel Gabriel, his wings like peacock feathers, kneeling before the Virgin Mary, seated on a throne and dressed in rich blue robes, both with light skin tones, against a gold background. Mary looks down at a stand, a scroll rolling over the edge, as Gabriel points up. In two blue circles in the upper left corner, a bearded man with light skin tone gestures toward Mary, a small, nude baby with light skin tone shooting down toward her.

The Annunciation

1380s

Netherlands, or possibly France, 14th century

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