The Annunciation represents the biblical story in which Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. These two panels were once part of a large altarpiece, placed to the left and right above a central painting and held within an elaborate frame. Fra Angelico represented the moment just after the angel's announcement, as indicated by the gesture of the Virgin, whose bowed head shows that she has submitted to the will of God. The Annunciation was a common theme in fifteenth-century altarpieces; Italian artists analyzed and depicted every aspect of this miraculous event.
Credit: Bequest of Eleanor Clay Ford
1450 and 1455
Gold leaf and tempera on wood panel
13.0 x 10.6in
77.1.2
Image and text courtesy of Detroit Institute of Arts Gallery, 2022
Where you'll find this
Detroit Institute of Arts
Permanent collection