Paintings, Prints & Drawings — Tudor; c. 1500
The Annunciation
This is the left-hand panel of a pair of paintings depicting the Annunciation, the moment at which the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God. The story appears in the Gospel of St Luke, part of the New Testament of the Bible.
The paintings are the outer wings of a devotional triptych (a three-panel painting) but the central panel is now lost. The triptych was commissioned either by or for George Fascet, Abbot of Westminster from 1498-1500, and was probably intended as an altarpiece. As Fascet died in 1500, it may well have been commissioned as a memorial to him.
In this painting, Gabriel is kneeling on an octagonal stone plinth bearing the Westminster Abbey coat of arms. He is wearing ecclesiastical dress consisting of a red cope, with gold-embroidered edging, over a linen alb and holds a gold sceptre in his left hand. Above and in front of the angel's face is a ribbon scroll bearing the Latin phrase, 'Ave gracia plena Dominus tecum'. In St Luke’s Gospel, Gabriel greets Mary with these words, which translate as 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee'.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- 2006.117/1
- Object name:
- The Annunciation
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Lower Saxon School?
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Tudor; c. 1500
- Material:
wood, oil paint, gold
- Measurements/duration:
- H 895 mm, W 285 mm, D 20 mm (overall), H 897 mm, D 20 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and The Pilgrim Trust.
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.