Annunciation (Caravaggio)

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Annunciation
Italian: Annunciazione

Artist	Caravaggio
Year	c. 1608
Type	Oil painting from wood transferred to canvas
Dimensions	285 cm × 205 cm (112 in × 81 in)
Location	Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, Nancy

The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Italian master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, finished around 1608. It housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy.

The painting has been considerably damaged and retouched, and what remains of Caravaggio's brushwork is the angel, who bears a resemblance to the figure in John the Baptist at the Fountain. The illusionistic treatment of the angel, floating on his cloud and seeming to protrude outside the picture plane, is more Baroque than is normal for Caravaggio, but the contrast between the energetic pose of the heavenly messenger and the receptive Mary is dramatically and psychologically effective. The loose brushwork is typical of Caravaggio's later period.

The painting was given by Henry II, Duke of Lorraine, to his primatial church in Nancy as the main altarpiece, and was perhaps acquired by one of the Duke's sons in the course of a visit to Malta in 1608.

Description

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The painting is composed of two figures. The angel above the Virgin is attributed to being Gabriel who was the angel of the annunciation. The lilies that Gabriel holds are also a symbol of the Virgin. The Virgin is in a prostrate position as she is being told by Gabriel of God's plan for her. The painting exhibits Caravaggio's signature sfumato and tenebrism, with almost the entire painting being dark except for the two main figures.

References

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Gash, John (2003). Caravaggio. Chaucer. ISBN 1-904449-22-0.
Robb, Peter (1998). M. Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-27474-2.

External links

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Media related to The Annunciation by Caravaggio at Wikimedia Commons
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy

v t e Caravaggio
List of paintings
1593–1594	Boy Peeling Fruit (c. 1592) Young Sick Bacchus (c. 1593) Boy with a Basket of Fruit (c. 1593) Boy Bitten by a Crayfish (c. 1593; lost) The Fortune Teller (c. 1594) The Cardsharps (c. 1594)
1595–1599 Del Monte paintings	The Musicians (c. 1595) Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy (c. 1595) Boy Bitten by a Lizard (c. 1596) The Lute Player (c. 1596) Bacchus (c. 1596) Penitent Magdalene (c. 1597) Rest on the Flight into Egypt (c. 1597) Medusa (c. 1597) Portrait of a Courtesan (Fillide Melandroni) (c. 1597) Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto (c. 1597) Saint Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1598) The Sacrifice of Isaac (Princeton; c. 1598) John the Baptist (c. 1598) Martha and Mary Magdalene (c. 1598) Portrait of Maffeo Barberini (1598) Basket of Fruit (c. 1599) Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1599) David and Goliath (c. 1599) Narcissus (c. 1599)
1600–1606 Most famous painter in Rome	The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599–1600) The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1599–1600) The Conversion of Saint Paul (1600) The Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601) The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus (1601) Supper at Emmaus (London; 1601) Amor Victorious (1602) Saint Matthew and the Angel (1602; destroyed) The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (c. 1602) The Taking of Christ (1602) The Entombment of Christ (c. 1603) Saint Francis in Prayer (c. 1603) The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew (c. 1603–1606) Madonna of Loreto (Madonna dei Pellegrini, Pilgrims' Madonna) (c. 1604) The Crowning with Thorns (Prato; 1604) The Death of the Virgin (1604) Christ on the Mount of Olives (1605) Ecce Homo (Genoa; c. 1605) Saint Jerome in Meditation (c. 1605) Saint Jerome Writing (Rome; c. 1605) Portrait of Pope Paul V (1605) Still Life with Fruit (1605) Madonna and Child with Saint Anne (Dei Palafrenieri) (1606)
1606–1608 Naples and Malta	Ecce Homo (Madrid; c. 1605–1609) Mary Magdalen in Ecstasy (1606) Saint Francis in Meditation (1606) Supper at Emmaus (Milan; 1606) The Seven Works of Mercy (1606) The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew (1607) David with the Head of Goliath (Vienna; 1607) Madonna of the Rosary (1607) The Crowning with Thorns (Vienna; 1607) The Flagellation of Christ (c. 1607) Christ at the Column (c. 1607) Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (London; c. 1607) Saint Jerome Writing (Valletta; 1607) Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page (1607–1608) Portrait of Fra Antonio Martelli (1608) The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608) Sleeping Cupid (1608)
1608–1610 Sicily and Naples	The Annunciation (1608) The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) The Raising of Lazarus (1609) Adoration of the Shepherds (1609) Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence (1609; lost) Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (Madrid; 1609) Denial of Saint Peter (1610) The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (1610) David with the Head of Goliath (Rome; 1610)
Related	Paintings attributed to Caravaggio Utrecht Caravaggism Caravaggisti Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto Caravaggio (1986 film) Caravaggio (2007 film) Caravaggio's Shadow

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Description

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References

External links