“Annunciation”
Today, I’m happy to share a piece by the painter of beauty, Sandro Botticelli.
“Annunciation” is a tempera on wood painting by the early Italian Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli. This is one of three versions that Botticelli created. This version was painted between 1489 and 1490.
In this piece, Botticelli depicts the moment where the archangel, Gabriel, announces to the Virgin Mary that she will soon become the mother of Jesus, the son of God. The winged angel is on bended knee holding a stalk of lilies, a tradition within art depicting the annunciation that began in the thirteenth century. The lilies are said to represent the purity of Mary and the seasonality of when she was informed of her impending pregnancy. Mary lowers her eyes to the visitor, with a halo visible above her head. A book, likely the Bible, is propped open upon her lectern, indicating that she had been reading before her visit. Mary was known for being learned and her ability to read and interpret the Bible.
Botticelli uses the one-point perspective technique recently developed by Brunelleschi around 1425, to orient the flooring and walls and create visual depth. The halo above Gabriel’s head follows the rules of perspective, appearing from this angle as a line. The architectural features of the setting painted in this piece are contemporary with Botticelli’s time. A landscape of the Italian countryside can be seen through the building on the back wall. Buildings, a bridge, boats, water, and trees fill in the background scene.
This piece was commissioned by a wealthy patron, Benedetto di ser Francesco Guardi, from Florence, Italy. It was to be erected within his family chapel in the church of Santa Maria Maddalena, located on Borgo Pinit, one of the main streets in Florence. The bible verse of Gabriel’s words to Mary has been inscribed beneath the painting upon the left part of the original frame, which reads “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”. Opposite the first verse, on the right-hand part of the frame, is Mary’s response, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it come to me according to your word.”
Botticelli made two other versions of this painting. Those two are very similar in form with each other, depicting a wider scope of view than represented in this version. “The Annunciation”, from 1485 to 1492, is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the United States. The last of the three, “The Annunciation”, from 1490 to 1495, is at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Annunciation” is currently on display at Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Uffizi, Italy.
For more on Sandro Botticelli, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
