The Annunciation
Paolo Veronese · c. 1580 · Cleveland Museum of Art
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From the museum
Although Veronese is best known for his large-scale, pageant-like presentations, here the artist has taken the narrative of the Annunciation (the announcement of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear a son) and compressed the figures close to one another, creating a startling intimacy. According to a tradition established by the medieval writer Saint Bernard, Mary has been reading from the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah (7:14), "A young woman is with child and she will bear a son." The white lilies held by Gabriel are a symbol of Mary's purity and innocence, often appearing in depictions of the Annunciation.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Paolo Veronese (Italian, 1528–1588), and Workshop
- Date
- c. 1580
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 176 x 159.5 x 9.5 cm (69 5/16 x 62 13/16 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 150 x 133.4 cm (59 1/16 x 52 1/2 in.)
- Place of origin
- Italy
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · On view · 118 Italian Renaissance
- Credit line
- Gift of the Hanna Fund
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
