The Annunciation
ArtistSandro Botticelli
Year1489
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions150 cm × 156 cm (59 in × 61 in)
LocationUffizi, Florence

The Cestello Annunciation, is a painting in tempera on panel made in 1489 by Sandro Botticelli. It was painted for the patron Benedetto di Ser Giovanni Guardi to adorn the church of the Florentine monastery of Cestello, which is now known as Santa Maria Maddalena de'Pazzi.[1][2]

The subject of the painting is the Annunciation, in which the Archangel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to 'announce' to her (hence 'Annunciation') that she has been chosen by God to bear the Christ child should she accept this invitation. Her 'fiat' (Let it be done to me) is the Annunciation. If She had said no, there would be no Redemption for mankind. Underneath the painting on its original frame are words in Latin from St. Luke's Gospel 1:35 "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee."

The subject of the Annunciation is common in Christian art[3][4] and has been depicted by many artists, in multiple formats, and in different time periods. In addition to the Cestello Annunciation, Botticelli also painted a 1485 Annunciation now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art[5] and a 1495-1500 version now housed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.[6]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cestello Annunciation.
  1. ^ "Annunciation". Virtual Uffizi Gallery. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Montresor, Carlo (2010). Botticelli. ATS Italia.
  3. ^ Murray, Peter; Murray, Linda (1996). The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture. p. 23. ISBN 0198661657.
  4. ^ Vassilaki, Maria (2005). Images of the Mother of God. pp. 158–159. ISBN 0754636038.
  5. ^ "The Annunciation". The Collection Online. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Gebhart, Emile; Charles, Victoria (2012). Botticelli. Parkstone International. ISBN 1780429959.
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