17th century, Spanish School, Annunciation

17th century, Spanish School

Annunciation

Oil on panel, 54,5 x 46 cm 

With frame 69 x 62 cm

In this Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel is the bearer of an innovative symbolism, rarely adopted: instead of the traditional virginal lily, the divine messenger shows the Virgin a precious golden crown with a midnight blue-lined cap, above which shines the sun, symbol of the divine conception. The simultaneous descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven, which the archangel indicates, helps to explain the role of Mary as the future Queen of Heaven as mater Dei. The figurative moment is when the Virgin, seeing the archangel approaching, perceives his ardent spirit and lowers her gaze, unable to sustain such divine beauty. The only concrete reference to the daily context is the lectern with the volume that Mary was candidly reading, left half-finished for Gabriel, and the graceful bronze vase on the pedestal embellished with delicate roses and a sprig of lily.

The affectedly nuanced drawing line and the bright colorism allow us to compare this panel to the Spanish seventeenth-century production. The particular choice of clothes worn by the archangel, preciously puffed and with a specific decoratively elaborated turn-up at the end of the sleeve, is a further indication of the cultural context of reference. The seventeenth century was named by Spanish historical-artistic critics as the Siglo de Oro of national painting, due to the temporary cultural isolation of the territory resulting from the intensification of religious fervor. The artistic context did not fail to incorporate models from neighboring Italy and Flanders, however in this period that language with a strong plastic expression that also characterizes the present was codified. It is enough to recall the choral work of the most important artistic fringe at the monastery of El Escorial, desired by Philip II as a sanctuary of Counter-Reformation art, which determined an alignment of the main taste.

Consider in this regard the Annunciation painted by Bartolomé Estaban Murillo around 1660, now in the Prado collections. The canvas, which was purchased in 1729 to celebrate the marriage between Elisabetta Farnese and Philip V, King of Spain, is symptomatic of the effervescent Spanish Baroque season, which here proposes the same figurative effects. Likewise, remember the Annunciation painted by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), between 1638-1639, now in the Museum of Grenoble.

The object is in good condition

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