Immaculate Moments in Mary's Life: The Annunciation in Eight Paintings from the 15th Century to the 20th Century

The Annunciation, which is also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or as the Annunciation of the Lord, concerns the surprising announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary of the miraculous, pure conception and forthcoming birth of Jesus. In the Bible, the Annunciation is presented in the first chapter of Luke, verses 26 through 38, and in the first chapter of Mark, verses 18 through 21.

The Book of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26 to 38

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

The Book of Matthew, Chapter 1, verses 18 to 21

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Understandably this momentous event, which ultimately heralded the beginnings of a new religion, Christianity, has been favored in Christian art and has inspired the world's greatest artists for centuries. From this plethora of depictions, eight paintings, which span the golden ages of Christian art, from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries, have been selected:

*** Henry Ossawa Tanner

*** John William Waterhouse

*** Dante Gabriel Rossetti

*** Philippe de Champaigne

*** Domenico Beccafumi

*** Leonardo da Vinci

*** Sandro Botticelli

*** Carlo Crivelli

Many of the artists are still well known in the twenty-first century while others struggle for name-recognition. Nevertheless, all of these paintings share a reverent, colorful presentation of immaculate moments in the life of an unassuming young woman whose name continues to symbolize for many the sublimest aspects of human nature.

Henry Ossawa Tanner (June 21, 1859 - May 25, 1937) studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia with Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (July 25, 1844 - June 25, 1916), who is considered as one of the most important artists in American history with contributions in painting, photography, sculpture, and arts education. On January 4, 1891, Henry Tanner left the United States to find in Europe the artistic acceptance which eluded him as an African American in his native country.

After visiting Rome, Liverpool, and London, Henry settled in Paris, where he later met Jessie Macauley Olssen (1873-1925), a Swedish American from San Francisco who was studying music in the French capital. Married in London on December 14, 1899, Henry and Jessie decided to make their home in France, where they divided their time between Paris and a country home near Étaples in the northern coastal region of Pas-de-Calais.

Jessie and their son posed as models for Mary and Jesus, respectively, for Henry's paintings of "Christ Learning to Read" (ca. 1910) and "Christ and his Mother Studying the Scriptures" (1909).

Henry's father, Benjamin Tucker Tanner (December 25, 1835 - January 14, 1923), was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Although Henry later became interested in Christian Science for a while, he generally disentangled himself from sectarian tenets. Preferring a charitable perspective on humanity, Henry Tanner found inspiration in a deep spirituality which guided his artistry. Thus, in an exhibition of religious paintings in New York in 1924, he explained his attraction to religious themes:

"My efforts have been to not only put the Biblical incident in the original setting, but at the same time give the human touch 'which makes the whole world kin' and which ever remains the same."

Henry Tanner's Annunciation: Henry Tanner's treatment of the Annunciation is unique in its presentation of Mary without a halo and dressed in the striped cotton clothing which the artist had viewed as the common attire of rural women during his Biblical research visit to Egypt and Palestine in 1897. With her hands clasped in her lap, Mary is seated at the edge of her bed. Her feet are probably in contact with the floor.

Another unique feature is the depiction of the archangel Gabriel as a shaft of light which is suspended in the air.

The scene takes place in an interior location, in Mary's sleeping area. Smoothly rounded arches and the subdued multi-colored stripes of a rug at Mary's feet and of a suspended fabric behind her bed define the parameters of the place in the windowless interior where Mary receives Gabriel's momentous announcement.

Set in considerably from the right edge of the painting, Mary is close to the center while the outer side of Gabriel as a column of light nearly approaches the painting’s left edge.

"The Annunciation" was entered in the Paris Salon exhibition of 1898. With its purchase in 1899 by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, "The Annuciation" became the first of Henry's paintings to enter an American museum.

Henry's wife Jessie served as the model for Mary in this painting.

Born in Rome, Italy, John William Waterhouse (1849 - February 10, 1917) grew up in an artistic household with both parents, William and Isabella, engaged in painting. John studied at London’s Royal Academy of Art and quickly found success in the Victorian world with his interest in classical literature, legends, and myths. His paintings presented beautiful visions of beloved female figures, such as William Shakespeare’s Miranda (1875, 1916), Ophelia (1889, 1894, 1910), and Juliet (1898); John Keats’ “Lamia” (1905, 1909); Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” (1888, 1894, 1916) and “The Lady Clare” (1900); Roman mythology’s Thisbe (1909); Greek mythology’s Circe (1891, 1892, 1911), Penelope (1912), and Pandora (1896). Nevertheless, also drawn to religious themes, John painted St. Cecilia (1895) and St. Eulalia (1885).

Although John bequeathed a bountiful legacy of colorful paintings to ever-admiring generations, he left few details about himself personally or professionally. In fact, the identity of many of his striking models remains a mystery.

John William Waterhouse's Annunciation: John’s “Annunciation” reflects his consummate understanding of a palette of rich colors as enhanced by precise composition. The scene is an external location overlooking a lawn or garden. A colorful rug, on which Mary is kneeling, provides textural contrast with the stony patio which is the focus of the scene.

With a traditional distance between them, Mary appears in the right sector of the painting, and Gabriel is situated in the left sector. John’s painting has a clearly defined center, which is the open space between Mary and the white flowers in Gabriel’s outstretched right hand.

The quiet dignity of Mary as she receives Gabriel’s startling announcement is exemplified by her unassuming posture of kneeling with her left hand over her heart and her right hand on the crown of her head. The holiness and purity of Gabriel and Mary are exemplified by their individualized haloes. The full length of Gabriel is not shown so it is not known whether Gabriel is in the traditional airborne stance or with his feet in contact with the earth.

An interesting touch is Gabriel’s deep blue purple wings which gently shelter his shoulders and rest in repose against his back.

Many of John's paintings, including "The Annunciation", are held in private collections.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (May 12, 1828 - April 9, 1882) was born into a creative household. His father, Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (February 28, 1783 - April 24, 1854), was a Professor of Italian in London and wrote Italian patriotic poetry. His younger sister, Christina Georgina Rossetti (December 5, 1830 - December 29, 1894), was a poet whose carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” is still popular in the Christmas repertoire. His younger brother, William Michael Rossetti (September 25, 1829 - February 5, 1919), was a writer and critic who was a major contributor on artistic subjects to the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. His older sister, Maria Francesca Rossetti (February 17, 1827- November 24, 1876), wrote a study of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) before entering the Society of All Saints as an Anglican nun.

Drawn to medieval Italian literature and art, Dante studied at Henry Sass’s Drawing Academy in London before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Arts from 1845 to 1848. A major artistic influence on Dante was Ford Madox Brown (April 16, 1821 - October 6, 1893), with his emphasis on moral and historical themes.

Dante co-founded the influential Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with William Holman Hunt (April 2, 1827 - September 7, 1910) and John Everett Millais (June 8, 1829 - August 13, 1896) in 1848. The Brotherhood found inspiration in the spiritual creativity of late medievalism and the early Renaissance as expressed in fifteenth century Italian art.

Dante’s personal life was a mosaic of complexity and came to an end on Easter Sunday from Bright’s Disease and the effects of a double addiction to chloral and whiskey.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Annunciation: Dante sets his Annunciation in Mary's bedroom. The dominant color in Dante’s treatment is a creamy off-white, which is found in Mary’s shift as well as in Gabriel’s clothing.

Placed in close proximity to one another, Mary appears in the right sector of the painting, and Gabriel is presented in the left sector.

The stem of lilies which Gabriel holds appears just above the visual center of the painting. Three lilies are fully opened while a fourth is still a bud. The stem is angled with the flowers towards Gabriel and the cut end of the stalk towards Mary.

With her left shoulder leaning against the monochromatic off-white wall and her shift blending into the off-white bedding on which she lounges, Mary exudes vulnerability and youth. Her right arm is completely bare in her sleeveless shift. Mary's right hand rests with the tips of her fingers hidden by her full-length shift. The drape of her cloth gives the impression that, bent at the knees, her left calf is angled perpendicularly under her right calf, which appears to be outstretched. Perhaps Mary's dark eyes are staring unfocused as she assimilates the significance and consequences of Gabriel’s announcement. Mary's posture conveys a sinking impression, almost as though she is feeling the weight of Gabriel's words.

Both Mary and Gabriel have haloes which are fairly similar.

An interesting touch is the absence of wings on Gabriel. Also the archangel hovers above the floor. Yellow flames of a holy fire seem to emanate from his feet.

Dante’s title, “Ecce Ancilla Domini,” places the focus on Mary as the handmaid of the Lord, whereas his substitute title, which conforms with traditional portrayals, “The Annunciation,” emphasizes the message which Gabriel is announcing.

Dante’s teen-aged sister Christina served as the model for Mary in this oil painting, which the artist completed several months before his twenty-second birthday.

Born in Brussels (French: Bruxelles) in north central Belgium, Philippe de Champaigne (May 26, 1602-August 12, 1674) moved in 1621 to Paris, where he assisted classical French painter Nicolas Poussin (June 15, 1594 - November 19, 1665) in decorating the Palais du Luxembourg for Marie de Médicis (April 26, 1575-July 4, 1642), second wife of French King Henri IV (December 13, 1553 - May 14, 1610). Marie had purchased the extensive estate in 1612 and commissioned influential 17^th-century French architect Salomon de Brosse (1571 - December 9, 1626) to create a design for the Palais which was reminiscent of Palazzo Pitti in her native Florence (Firenze), in northern Italy. Located in Paris’ 6^th arrondissement (sixième arrondissement de Paris) on the historic left bank (rive gauche) of the River Seine, the Palais underwent construction from 1615 to 1631.

Philippe also decorated Palais Cardinal (now Palais-Royal) in the 1^st arrondissement on the sophisticated right bank (rive droite) of La Seine. Designed in 1629 by French Baroque architect Jacques Lemercier (c. 1585 - January 13, 1654), Palais-Cardinal was constructed from 1633 to 1639 as the personal residence of influential French statesman and religious leader Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal de Richelieu (September 9, 1585 - December 4, 1642. In addition to decorating buildings, Philippe was sought as a portrait painter, especially by Cardinal Richelieu, and as a painter of religious themes.

In 1648 he numbered among the twelve founding members of L’Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which was merged with l’Académie de Musique and l’Académie d’Architecture in 1816 to form l’Académie des Beaux-Arts.

Philippe de Champaigne's Annunciation: The scene combines a primarily internal setting with a slight external view. A wall, with a rich green textured drapery drawn back to the left edge, occupies most of the background. Near the right lower edge obscure buildings are visible through an open doorway. The scene appears to be a prayer or reading nook in the house.

Mary is in the lower left sector of the painting. She is kneeling with her right leg while her left leg is turned somewhat outwards by the movement of her body as she swivels to face Gabriel. Mary’s heavenly blue cloak is lifted delicately by the movement to reveal her sandaled left foot.

Leaning towards Mary, Gabriel is situated diagonally across most of the length of the painting’s right sector. His outstretched right hand, with index and middle fingers gently pointing towards Mary, occupies the visual center of the painting.

Mary’s hair, which is largely covered by a dark cloth, is ringed with a halo. Gabriel’s head is outlined with a burst of light which is not a clearly defined halo.

An open book nestles alongside Mary’s elbow, which rests on the small reading table which is set atop a platform serving also as a kneeler. Mary’s right fingers touch her heart. Her left hand is bent upwards, palm supine, at the wrist in a meaningful gesture.

The rich blue of Mary’s cloak is mirrored in a lighter shade on Gabriel’s garment. The whiteness of Gabriel’s left wing, open above the flowing top of his garment, is matched by the white dove which hovers near Gabriel’s left wing. An edge of Gabriel’s right wing is visible over his right shoulder.

The dove’s beak points downwards towards Mary. Light, which encircles the dove, gathers into an elongated, narrow pinnacle of light which fades close to Mary. Gabriel is airborne, with his left leg forward, knee slightly bent, and bare left foot visible below the ankle.

In his left hand Gabriel holds a long stem, topped with white lilies, slightly arched oppositely from his body.

Set in from the left edge and touching the upper edge of the painting are two putti, chubby, often winged male enfants who were frequently featured in Renaissance (14th to 17th centuries) and Baroque (17th century) art. The putto on the left is completely bare, with his open right wing visible from his right shoulder to the small of his plump back. A long strip of blue-green cloth enswathes the right thigh of the putto on the right and appears to flow behind the left putto upwards into an arch which is then grasped loosely in the right putto’s left hand.

It is thought that the model for Mary may have been Philippe's daughter, Catherine.

Domenico Beccafumi (1486 - May 18, 1551) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was born in Montaperti in the countryside near Siena in the exquisite natural and architectural beauty of the region of Tuscany in northern Italy. His father's name is sometimes given as Giacomo di Pace, but Domenico's sixteenth-century contemporary, Italian artist-architect-historian Giorgio Vasari (July 30, 1511 - June 27, 1574) refers to Domenico's father as "Pacio, the labourer of the Sienese citizen Lorenzo Beccafumi" (p. 235).

Helping his father in his chores, Domenico often guarded Lorenzo's sheep and, while shepherding, he passed his time in drawing on natural surfaces.

"It happened that the said Lorenzo saw him one day drawing various things with a pointed stick on the sand of a small stream, where he was watching his little charges, and he asked for the child from his father, meaning to employ him as his servant, and at the same time to have him taught."

Domenico's artistic career was thus initiated through Lorenzo's patronage.

"The boy, therefore, who was then called Mecherino, having been given up by his father Pacio to Lorenzo, was taken to Siena. . ."

Lorenzo's neighbor was a painter, who "no great craftsman, caused Mecherino to learn all that he could not himself teach him from designs by eminent painters that he had in his possession . . ."

As a result of Lorenzo's patronage, Domenico acquired the family name of Beccafumi.

Cherished in Siena, Domenico accepted private and public commissions on religious and classical themes. He built a small house, which provided peace, contentment, and fulfillment of his small wants. He also owned a vineyard "a mile beyond the Porta a Camollia, which he cultivated with his own hand as a recreation. . ." (NOTE: Porta Camollia, one of eight gates in Siena’s defensive enclosure, faces historic Via Cassia, which wends south to Florence, at a distance of 37 miles [60 kilometers], and Rome, at a distance of 124 miles [200 kilometers]. Its name honors Camulio, a commander who set up camp in the eighth century BCE on the place commemorated by the namesake gate during a mission for Romulus, legendary co-founder of Rome. Carved on the gate’s arch is the inscription Cor Magis Tibi Siena Pandit [“Siena opens its heart to you wider than this gate”], which commemorates the entry of Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of Tuscany [July 30, 1549 – February 17, 1609], into Siena.)

For almost thirty years, from 1517 to 1546, Domenico designed sketches for 35 of the 56 panels in the magnificent mosaic floor of inlaid marble in Siena's extraordinary 13th-century cathedral, Duomo di Siena. Domenico completed the massive frieze of Moses Striking Water from the Rock, 26.2 feet (8 meters) in length, in 1525. In 1531 the border panel, Moses on Mount Sinai, was laid. Domenico closed the series with the panel in front of the main altar, Sacrifice of Isaac.

Domenico next turned his attention to casting in bronze. He portrayed six angels, almost life-size, for the Duomo. Vasari reported that the multi-faceted artist ". . .hastened the end of his life by toiling all by himself day and night at his castings in metal, polishing them himself without calling in any assistance." (pp. 250-251)

Domenico's death was recognized as a great loss to Siena of "an orderly and upright person, fearing God and studious in his art, although solitary beyond measure." (p. 251)

Domenico Beccafumi's Annunciation: The scene is set in a semi-darkened interior brightened with selective, subtle light.

Mary is seated towards the painting’s right edge. Gabriel floats in the air, tilting out from the left edge. The visual center of the painting occurs in the foreground with an archway which opens onto a natural landscape with sunlight filtering through white clouds which darken in the half circle of the arch to blend thence with the dark wall above the archway. The main impression conveyed by the visual center is of light making itself visible.

A dove, encircled with light, hovers near the painting’s top edge in alignment with the visual center.

Both Gabriel and Mary are ringed with narrow haloes.

Gabriel and Mary are clothed in dissimilar shades of red.

Gabriel is in profile. His right eye seems to be slightly lowered instead of fully open. Gabriel’s open wings are largely in shadow but the edges of his right wing and a section of tailfeathers are cast in a rosy yellow light from an unseen source emanating from beyond the painting’s right edge. His right leg is forward, bent slightly at the knee. His left ankle is in shadow but light faintly outlines his left foot. His arms are crossed in front of his chest, with his left arm poised near his right shoulder. His right hand, resting atop his left wrist, holds an indistinct bouquet of white flowers which opens towards Mary’s face.

A dark fabric, which covers the piece of furniture on which Mary is seated, pools across the middle of the floor to Mary’s right. A grey cloth is draped over Mary’s left arm and, covering her lap, ends in graceful semicircles atop the dark fabric.

Mary’s upper body is turned away from Gabriel and towards the painting’s right edge. Her left hand is poised on her left thigh. Her bare right arm, bent at the elbow, crosses almost the midline of her body. Her right hand rests near her left shoulder. Mary’s face is turned towards Gabriel, with a tilt to the right. Light cascades down the contours of her face and body to the floor. Mary’s dark eyes are beguiling against the lightness of her skin.

Who has not heard of Leonardo da Vinci? Leonardo (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) personifies the creative genius of the Italian Renaissance, with his multidisciplinary understanding of art, writing, engineering, mathematics, and the natural sciences. Yet, despite the enduring fame of his accomplishments, Leonardo remains a mystery as a person. The extreme extent to which he unfurled his mind and heart in his quest for wisdom, which is detailed in his vast journals, is matched in reverse by the paucity of information about his personal life.

Such concern over the mysterious remoteness of superhumans often stems from the desire to draw closer, perhaps in an attempt to identify the secrets to incomparable genius or astounding success or exceptional talents. What we do glean from examining Leonardo's vast legacy is that he did not ensconce himself in emotional judgments or preformed opinions and that his unbounded inquisitiveness was open and receptive to the flow of life as expressed in the endless, mysterious beauty of this created universe.

In early childhood I personally was captivated beyond measure by this supreme artist whom my artistic mother admired and whose anatomy drawings for a university art project reflect the same keen powers of observation in tandem with artistic surety which were displayed by her artistic superhero, Leonardo.

An aspect of Leonardo's personality which particularly impresses me is the kindness which he displayed towards other creatures inhabiting this planet. Of all his talents and qualities of mind and of heart, his respect for nature reflects so clearly the awe with which he lived and moved and had his being. As Vasari noted so clearly:

". . . he always kept . . . horses, in which . . . he took much delight, and particularly in all other animals, which he managed with the greatest love and patience; and this he showed when often passing by the places where birds were sold, for, taking them with his own hand out of their cages, and having paid to those who sold them the price that was asked, he let them fly away into the air, restoring to them their lost liberty." (pp. 91-92)

On his deathbed, Leonardo reputedly muttered with great anguish: "Dimmi, dimmi se mai fu fatta cosa alcuna" ("Tell me, tell me, if anything ever got done"). This pondering generally is attributed to Leonardo's final acknowledgment of his inveterate habit of starting projects which were often not taken to completion. My interpretation expands his question to universal applicability as a factual statement of life on earth: Is anything ever truly finished, completed, taken to its natural end? I think not. This terrestrial life is an incomplete journey, for no one ever closes all the circles in life.

My mind equates Leonardo with another genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791), who exemplifies for me the equivalent in music of Leonardo in art. Their vision as they created kept expanding into ever widening circles of questions and answers in a ripple effect which carried their inspiration into the timeless, spacious dimension of awe where eternity and infinity reside. Transcending the boundaries of fear, both Leonardo and Wolfgang understood the underlying unity of this universe wherein thoughts and events build upon each other and cascade into endless possibilities.

Vasari succinctly summed Leonardo's essential character as ". . . a great spirit, and in his every action was most generous." (p. 103) The generosity of his spirit continues to enthrall his admirers, including the modern technological generation with their easy access to quick, unplumbed answers.

Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation: Leonardo da Vinci was, in the words of A.C. Scott, a wise professor with whom I had the great privilege of studying, an absolute master of his craft. It was the ultimate compliment which Professor Scott could bestow upon a person, and he applied it, of course, to Leonardo. Each viewing of Leonardo's Annunciation reveals depth upon depth in terms of color, composition, effect, patterning, symbolism, texture, etc.

The scene is an external setting. Mary is situated halfway between the painting's visual center and its right edge. Gabriel is similarly placed, about halfway between the center and the left edge. The visual center falls midway between Mary's lowered right hand and Gabriel's raised right hand. An appealing, distant, spired landscape of cloud-ringed mountains, masted ships on serene waters, towered buildings, and regal trees beckons above the grey corniced stone parapet which marks the painting's visual center.

Mary and Gabriel are both haloed. Mary's halo has wavy filaments, reminiscent of flames, encircled by a thin ring. Gabriel's halo, shown in profile, appears to have straight, unringed filaments.

Gabriel is shown in profile while a three-quarter view of Mary is presented. She is turned partially towards Gabriel and, therefore, her face is not displayed in full frontal view.

Mary's beautiful golden hair cascades in delicate waves over her shoulders. Gabriel's hair appears as auburn chestnut with its reddish golden highlights.

Mary is seated on a creamy bench with an intricately textured reading table in front of her right leg. Her right hand is bent at the elbow to hold her place in the Bible which she has been reading. Bent also at the elbow, her left arm is raised with her hand flexed backward to display her left palm.

Mary is garmented in gold, off white, red, and blue. Gabriel is hued in off white, green, and red.

Gabriel is gracefully bowing, leaning forwards towards Mary, on bended knee, with his right knee on the ground. His left leg, with thigh parallel to the ground, is bent at the knee, on which his left hand, holding a long stem of lilies, rests. Four of the lilies are open, and four are closed. Gabriel's right arm, bent at the elbow, is held upwards with wrist flexed perpendicular to the ground, thereby opening the palm towards Mary. Gabriel's index and middle fingers, held together and slightly bent as in a miniature bow, may be interpreted as a traditional representation of the dual nature of Jesus, with the index finger symbolizing his divinity and the middle finger his humanity. The bending of the two fingers expresses the bowing down of the heavens with Jesus' descent to earth for humanity's salvation. The right hand betokens Jesus' spiritual position at the right hand of God.

Gabriel's wings, which emerge from his back in an upright position, are close together in a closed position. Their coloring shades from pearl to golden tinges; dark patches may be caused by shadows.

Mary's physical environment is characterized by sturdy manmade materials. Her unseen feet are resting on a tan terrace angled with a tile pattern. Behind her is a green stone wall with an off-white border. A window, above her head, opens into a room that is slightly visible to Mary's left. Mary's ornate reading table, with its shells, swirls, and leafy reliefs, transitions elegantly from the linear designs of stone and marble to the whorls, flourishes, and waves of vegetation which carpet the ground from under the reading table all the way to the painting's left edge.

Who were the models for Mary and Gabriel? Leonardo was known to stand lengthily and motionless as he created, seemingly lost in contemplation of and communion with the essence of his themes. He was also known to follow fellow pedestrians on their rounds in order to memorize their features and glean through the osmosis of proximity and of familiarity necessary aspects of their persona. However Leonardo derived his inspiration for his depiction of the Annunciation, he was clearly attuned to a full embodiment of his inner vision, for "l'Annunciazione" is a masterpiece which is complete and entire unto itself.

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (March 1, 1445-May 17, 1510) is known as Sandro Botticelli. Born in Firenze, Sandro wearied his father, Mariano Filipepi, with his restlessness, “nor was he contented with any form of learning, whether reading, writing, or arithmetic,” to the point that Mariano, in desperation, apprenticed him as a goldsmith with “a boon-companion of his own, called Botticello, no mean master of that art in his day.” (Volume III, p. 247)

A constant interaction between goldsmiths and painters at that time introduced Sandro to that artistry. As a result, to his father’s joy, Sandro discovered his true passion and subsequently apprenticed with early Renaissance painter and frescoist Fra Filippo di Tommaso Lippi (1406-1469).

One of Sandro's well-known projects was his participation, with other prominent Florentine and Umbrian artists, in designing and painting frescoes in the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) in the Apostolic Palace (I Palazzi Apostolici), the Pope’s official residence in Vatican City (Città del Vaticano). The artists left for Rome on October 27, 1480 and began painting their frescoes in spring 1481. Sandro's father passed away on February 20, 1482, and, upon learning this sad news, Sandro returned to his beloved city. Sistine frescoes completed by Sandro include le Prove di Cristo (“The Temptations of Christ”), le Prove di Mosè (“The Trial of Moses”), and la Punizione dei ribelli (“Punishment of the Rebels”). All three abound with exquisitely detailed figures in richly detailed landscapes.

While Sandro’s paintings primarily focused on religious themes, such as the Madonna and Child (Madonna col Bambino), and Biblical heroes and heroines, such as Moses and Judith, he also depicted mythological themes, which were elegantly presented. Primavera (“Spring”), c. 1482, and Nascita di Venere (“The Birth of Venus”), c. 1482-1485, both in the collection of Galleria degli Uffizi in Firenze, are two paintings which enchant admirers with their ethereal females and paradisiacal landscapes.

In the last decade of the fifteenth century, Sandro fell under the spell of Girolamo Savonarola (September 21, 1452 - May 23, 1498). An Italian Dominican friar, Savonarola was driven by an apocalyptic vision and an enthusiasm for falò delle vanità (“bonfire of the vanities”), that is, burning objects which entice sin, especially through an appeal to personal vanity. In the righteous fervor of his cause and of his followers, Savonarola alienated powerful religious and political leaders, from the Borgia Pope, Alexander VI (January 1, 1431 – August 1503), to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza (July 27, 1452 – May 27, 1508). Savonarola was excommunicated on May 13, 1497, and was arrested, along with two close associates, Fra Domenico da Pescia (ca. 1450-May 23, 1498) and Fra Silvestro Maruffi, less than one year later on April 8, 1498. After undergoing almost four weeks of excruciating torture, Savonarola and the two signed confessions sometime before May 8. Two weeks later all three were hanged publicly by chains and burned at the stake.

According to Vasari, Sandro began abandoning his artistry under the influence of Savonarola and sank into dire poverty. If not for concerned intervention and assistance by Florentine statesman Lorenzo de’ Medici (1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), Sandro would have starved to death. When it came, death found a broken man, ". . . old and useless, and being forced to walk with crutches, without which he could not stand upright, . . . infirm and decrepit . . ." (p. 253) Vasari's account is disputed by others who maintain that documents attest to Sandro's being in possession of property which removed him from the grip of poverty despite being constantly besieged by malcontents and sycophants.

It is amazing to learn today, with Sandro's name-recognition and cachet, that his artistry actually suffered a decline for almost three and one-half centuries after his death. That eclipse was routed in in the mid-nineteenth century, in 1857 with the entrance of one of his later paintings, la Natività Mistica ("The Mystical Nativity"), probably completed in 1501, in The Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester in the south central part of northwestern England. The enigmatic yet gloriously composed and brightly painted portrayal attracted over one million viewers. By the twentieth century, from 1900 to 1920, Sandro monopolized publications on painters, with more books devoted to him than to any other painter.

Sandro Botticelli's Annunciation: L’Annunciazione di Cestello differs from Botticelli’s other similarly themed creations, especially in coloration and composition. L’Annunciazione di Cestello was commissioned in 1489 by Benedetto Guardi on behalf of the Guardi del Cane family for their chapel in the Florentine Cistercian convent of Cestello (now known as Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi). In 1778, as a result of a project to redecorate the chapel and install new altarpieces in post-High Renaissance styles, the tempera panel was transferred to San Martino in Fiesole. By 1890 the exquisite depiction was in the inventory of Galleria degli Uffizi.

The scene in this Annunciation is set in an interior but with a vivid external view of a pristine landscape. Mary is situated along the painting’s right edge. Gabriel is set in slightly from the left edge. The distance between their outstretched right hands is small. The center of the painting, while actually occurring near Gabriel’s profile, is distracted by the off-center external vista.

Their exquisite haloes appear to be similar in design and delicacy.

Both Mary and Gabriel seem to have red brown hair.

The main garment of both is painted in shades of red. Gabriel’s reddish garment is layered over a golden garment, which extends beyond the elbow-length sleeves of the top red garment and which is uncovered by Gabriel’s bent left knee. The edges of Mary’s blue cloak, with its wide black collar and black lining, are embroidered in gold.

An interesting touch is the transparent cloth which is delicately outlined in its rhythmic flow from Gabriel’s right shoulder down to the bundled ridges of his richly textured outer garment on the floor around his right foot. The transparent cloth appears in front in a flow from his waist to his left knee and appears again in a delicately draping on the floor in front of his left foot. This transparency is mirrored in the transparent cloth which is draped over Mary’s head and falls over her left elbow and is seen as a delicate line trailing below her right elbow and behind her right hip.

Another interesting touch is the vibrancy which is conveyed by the dramatic postures expressed by Mary and Gabriel. The overall impression is almost of a graceful dance. This is one of the most mesmerizing depictions of the interaction between Mary and God’s messenger.

A reading podium is to Mary’s left. Her head is bowed, and her eyes are closed. Mary’s body is inclined slightly towards Gabriel, and both her hands are bent at the wrist to display her palms, each of which is rimmed with bowed fingers and thumb.

Gabriel’s face is a beautiful study of reassurance. His left hand, which holds a long, thick stem with five large lilies angled backwards to rest over his wings, is placed on his left knee. His right arm, bent at the elbow, is raised with open palm towards Mary. His right index and middle fingers are joined and slightly bent. Gabriel’s wing are a gentle multi-colored palette of off-white, yellow, brown, and green.

Yet another interesting touch is Gabriel’s shadow angling across the floor. (This is interesting to me because I tend to think of angels as not casting shadows.)

The steel-grey walls and doorway molding provide a quiet backdrop for Sandro’s masterful presentations of Mary and Gabriel.

The panorama through the off-center doorway projects calmness with the silhouette of a tree, centered in the doorway, and a peaceful river wends its way to the horizon and is traversed by an arched bridge. Blue sky envelops the upper vista and fades into a golden whiteness below the tall tree’s leafy, branching crown. Turrets and spires arise from a hilled fortress on the river’s left bank and is balanced by the rectangular lines of the terraced wall on the right bank.

In the section of the frame underneath the painted panel appears the crucified Christ rising from his sepulchre, on which is draped il Velo della Veronica ("The Veil of Veronica"). According to legend, the Face of Jesus was miraculously imprinted through sweat which was wiped from Jesus' face by Saint Veronica with her veil as Jesus walked along the Via Dolorosa on his way to Calvary. Also inscribed onto the bottom frame are Gabriel's explanation of the Immaculate Conception to Mary (Luke 1: 35) and her acceptance of her role (Luke 1: 38):

Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te et virtus Altissimi odumbrabit tibi / Ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum

(The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee" / "Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord")

Who were the models for Gabriel and for Mary? A mystery enshrouds that question. Sandro's faces, which enchant viewers with their ethereal mystique, are sometimes identifiable and sometimes unknown. Many see everywhere in Sandro's artistry the face of Simonetta Cattaneo de Candia Vespucci (ca. 1453 - April 26, 1476), the renowned Genoese beauty who was admired virtually throughout Florence and whose untimely death in her early twenties was caused by pulmonary tuberculosis. The inspiration for Gabriel and Mary, as for many of Sandro's mesmerizing faces, remains a mystery.

Carlo Crivelli (c. 1435 - c. 1495) was born into a family of painters in Venice (Venezia). Despite the increasing popularity of oils in painting, Carlo only used tempera, which is a permanent and durable yet fast-drying medium mixing colored pigment with a water-soluble binder, usually egg yolks.

Carlo relocated to Padua, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Venice, and thence to the Marches (le Marche) region along the Adriatic coast in east central Italy. In the Marches, Carlo mainly was based in the interior, in the mountain-flanked town of Ascoli Piceno, and on the coast in the seaport provincial capital of Ancona.

Carlo’s artistry was solely devoted to religious themes, with his commissions supplied by churches of Dominican and Franciscan orders. Recurrent themes include Madonna col Bambino (“Madonna with Child”) and both female and male saints, such as Saint Catherine ("Santa Caterina d’Alessandria", 1471; "Santi Caterina d’Alessandria e Girolamo", 1470), St. Francis ("San Francesco", 1471), St. George ("San Giorgio e il drago", 1470).

Carlo’s artistry features somewhat static compositions in a reminiscently medieval style. A fascinating aspect of his creations is the colorful details which abound. For instance, Mary is wrapped in an intricately designed garment in la Madonna della Rondine (“The Madonna of the Swallow”, 1490). A fly, with its shadow, perches on the ledge in Madonna col Bambino (“Madonna and Child”, ca. 1480).

Carlo’s works were disfavored soon after his death. He was not mentioned by Giorgio Vasari in his monumental 10-volume series, Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori da Cimabue insino a' tempi nostri (“Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times”), which was first published in 1550, five and one-half decades after Carlo’s death.

Interest in Carlo was revived in the mid-nineteenth century by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Co-founded by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (May 12, 1828 – April 9, 1882), William Holman Hunt (April 2, 1827 – September 7, 1910), and John Everett Millais (June 8, 1829 – August 13, 1896) in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite movement derived inspiration from medieval and early Renaissance artists. Carlo Crivelli’s artistry was a source of their inspiration, especially for Pre-Raphaelite follower Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1^st Baronet (August 28, 1833 – June 17, 1898).

Carlo Crivelli's Annunciation: In 1482 the Italian condottiero ("mercenary") Francesco Sforza (July 23, 1401 - March 8, 1466) was ousted from control of Ascoli Piceno, a border town which was a battleground for secular versus papal dominion. Ascoli Piceno then fell under papal suzerainty.

On the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, in 1486, excitement in Ascoli Piceno was doublefold, for the ecstatic news had been announced that, through the efforts of the town's bishop, Prospero Cafferelli, a new charter, providing civic autonomy under papal protection, had been granted by Pope Innocent VIII (1432 - July 25, 1492). Thus, Carlo's Annunciation was commissioned as a celebratory altarpiece for la Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata (The Church of the Most Holy Annunciate).

An interesting touch is the inclusion of a saint in the depiction, which is entitled l'Annunciazione con Sant'Emidio ("The Annunciation with Saint Emidius"). This unusual feature recognizes Ascoli's civic pride through the symbolism of its patron saint, Saint Emidius (c. 279 - c. 309). A Christian bishop, Emidius was assigned to Ascoli Piceno, where he was martyred on August 5, 309, by decapitation for converting Polisia, the daughter of the local governor, Polymius, to Christianity instead of marrying her. Picking up his head and, thereby, numbering among the elite group of saints known as cephalophores (Greek: κεφαλή, képhalē, "head" + φέρω, phoro, “to bear”), Saint Emidius carried it to a nearby grotto where he intended to be buried. A Baroque church, built between 1717 and 1720/1721, honors the saint's sepulture.

The scene combines exterior and interior settings in open air. Mary is set in from the painting’s right edge. Gabriel, accompanied by Saint Emidius who carries a model of the jubilant town, is set in from the left edge. Interesting, the saint casts a shadow whereas Gabriel, of course, does not have a shadow. The visual center actually occurs near the upper right corner of the grilled window on the wall of Mary’s house. Nevertheless, the painting’s colorful palette and intricate composition bustle around the center so that it is unnoticeable and indistinct.

Mary and Gabriel have similar haloes. Each also wears a distinctive, bejeweled golden band in their strawberry blonde tresses.

Both Mary and Gabriel are robed in white, golden yellow, red, and green.

Both have skin of marble whiteness, with sculptured, fine features.

From a fluffy ring in the sky, a golden shaft of light streams through a golden opening in the cornice above the grilled window. Inside, the shaft spreads into a halo on which a dove rests and then continues as a shaft which ends at the jeweled ornament, just above her forehead, on Mary’s headband.

Mary is standing before a reading table near an open doorway with ornate lintels. She leans forward primarily from the waist. Her eyes are at half-mast. Her arms are bent at the elbows, crossed in front of her, with her right hand resting on her left hand. An intricate Oriental carpet covers the floor where Mary stands.

The background is glowing with golden embroidery which decorates Mary’s bed covering, cushions, and bed drapery. Golden flourishes flow from red circled centers on the ceiling insets. Cherubic heads flanked with wings and underscored with beribboned swags enliven the border which runs along the top of the back wall.

Above Mary a peacock sits on the cornice of her section of the building. Its magnificent tail feathers, which are golden regularly patterned with green, brown, and yellow eyes, hang lengthily down to end just below the upper opening of Mary’s doorway. A balcony, set in from the edge of the cornice, is draped with an intricately patterned carpet which dazzles with blue, brown, gold, green, red, and white threads. A cream vase with a sprigged geometric pattern and with lush foliage is perched atop the carpet.

Gabriel is kneeling on his right knee. His middle and ring fingers, slightly bent, rest near his left thigh. A long, thick stem of lilies is held upright between his left thumb and index finger. Two lilies are open while one below is loosening to open and three above are elongated buds. Gabriel’s right arm, bent at the elbow, is raised with the palm open. His ring and little fingers are bent at the first and second joints, and the tip of the ring finger may be touching the tip of the thumb. The middle finger crosses behind the index finger.

Gabriel’s wings are gloriously arrayed in gold, red, and green. Green and golden feathers ornament his right shoulder.

So many details summon the viewer’s attention as a reminder that this painting commemorates the blessed event of the Annunciation in conjunction with the town’s civic celebration of liberty. An interesting touch is the Annunciation which occurs in the midst of daily life. A little girl peers around the stairwell while a her father speaks with two monks. Another gorgeous carpet, threaded in blue, green, red, salmon, and white is draped over a wall in the background. The town's citizenry and a monk amble contentedly in the backgroun.

Doves are roosting on their perches.

Clouds, almost reminiscent of sea foam, delicately float across the blue green sky.

Carlo’s Annunciation is a remarkable affirmation of life.

In 1811 Carlo's Annunciation found a new home in Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) in the Palazzo Brera in Milano in the northern region of Lombardia (Lombardy). Remaining there for about four years, the painting was sold privately in 1815. Carlo's Annunciation was subsequently purchased by Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton (August 15, 1798 - July 13, 1869), who gifted it to London's National Gallery in 1864.

Images of the Annunciation by Eight Artists from the Fifteenth to the Twentieth Centuries

Clearly, the Annunciation has proved to be inspirational for a plethora of artists over the centuries. Both well-known and lesser-known artists have considered this momentous event in the life of a female who found herself transitioning from youth to motherhood over two millennia ago. The eight artists who have been featured span five centuries, from the fifteenth to the twentieth. Each artist has presented a uniquely beautiful portrait of this announcement which heralded the birth both of a timeless spiritual teacher and of a new religion.

This hub is dedicated to Mary, whose name connotes a vast reservoir of confident, gentle love and in whose name an inspired repository of beautiful artistry has been created.

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My special thanks to talented photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors & Architects. Newly translated by Gaston de Vere. With Five Hundred Illustrations: In Ten Volumes. London: Philip Lee Warner, 1912-1914. (Volumes III, IV, and VI consulted for this research.)

Copyright October 31, 2011 by Stessily