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A depiction of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, by the Archangel Gabriel, that she would bear the Son of God. On the left of the composition is the kneeling figure of Gabriel, seen in profile facing the right, carrying a lily. Seated on a stone terrace before the Archangel is the Virgin, seen in three-quarter frontal view facing the left; her head is inclined towards Gabriel with her eyes closed and her arms crossed over her breast. Also on the terrace, in front of the virgin, is a lectern. The figure of God flanked by cherubs appears at a golden opening in the sky, in the centre of the top edge of the composition; he sends the Holy Spirit in the form of the dove in golden rays down towards the Virgin. The left background is a wooded, hillside landscape that descends into a lake on the centre-right; written in gold lettering across the lake, to the left of the Virgin's head is the inscription, 'ECCE ANCILLA DOMINE'.
Title
The Annunciation
Date
c.1510
Medium
tempera on panel
Measurements
H 23.6 x W 57.6 cm
Accession number
1947.184
Acquisition method
bequeathed through the National Art Collections Fund, 1947
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
Unsigned
