Possibly Spanish School. First half of the 16th century.
"The Annunciation"
Oil on panel 41 x 31 cm.
This very valuable and unusual panel represents the episode of the Annunciation in the luxurious private chambers of the Virgin. She appears kneeling in front of a table decorated with a red cloth with gold trim, on which rests the book she was reading until the sudden appearance of God's envoy. The arrival of the archangel has caused the Virgin to put down her book and turn her face to observe the unexpected visitor. Saint Gabriel, as usual, arrives from the left side of the scene. He is standing, in the act of approaching the Virgin, which is why his right leg can be seen pushing forward under his tunic, with his wings unfolded in different directions. In his left hand he grasps a golden sceptre topped with a kind of fleur-de-lys: it is the messenger's staff, which, according to Réau, is a transposition of the one carried by the god Mercury, "messenger of Jupiter, from whom the Announcing angel takes his ancient herald's wand, the staff of command entrusted by the celestial emperor to his extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador”. He extends his right arm pointing with his index and middle fingers towards the sky to emphasise the fact that the message he brings comes directly from God. This “oratory gesture”, according to Réau, is taken directly from “the statues of the philosophers of antiquity, he extends his right hand towards the Virgin, raising his index finger to underline his words”.
Mary brings her left hand to her chest as a sign of compliance with the divine message, while with her right she still holds a page of the book she was reading. She wears a blue cloak, but in this case, it is a very dark blue and also decorated with small golden lily flowers. Her hair is thick and slightly wavy, falling in two large locks on both sides of her head. Her face, which is oval, with tiny facial features, a powerful chin and clear forehead, harks back to Flemish models.
The archangel wears a long reddish tunic that shows us only the toes of one of his feet, and over it a green overtunic open at the front and fastened at the neck by a brooch in the form of a golden quatrefoil.
Both characters have been conceived with well-defined volumes and with an interest in naturalness in both movements and expressions. The study of perspective is not completely successful, although the artist uses some devices to achieve it, such as the lines formed by the marble tiles of different colors (green, yellow and red) that pave the floor or the position of the bed. The painter has decided to capture the greatest possible number of details in the room, in the case of the bed with curtains or the seats decorated with red velvet and on which two cushions with floral motifs and gold fringes rest. In the foreground, there is a jug with lilies, an attribute that alludes to the purity of the Virgin Mary, and more especially to her virginity, which Saint Bernard refers to as the inviolable lilium castitatis.
In the upper part of the scene, entering through the only window of the room, which vanishes into a distant landscape that combines land and sea, the presence of the Holy Spirit is evident through the appearance of the symbolic dove and the sparkles that surround it, one of which falls on the face of the Virgin to emphasize the mystery of the Incarnation. It is a harmonious composition, very beautiful and with a rich range of colours.
The most mysterious detail of the table is found on its back, as there is an inscription in French: "Blanche de Castille Reine Fondatrice du Monastere du Lis". Blanca de Castilla was queen consort of France through her marriage to Louis VIII, and in turn was the mother of the holy king Louis IX. We do not know the reason for the appearance of this inscription, but it is striking that the Virgin's mantle appears completely upholstered with golden fleurs-de-lys, an emblem of the French monarchy and therefore of Blanca herself. Likewise, there is another detail which may have a symbolic meaning, which is the eagle type bird with outstretched wings painted on the front of the vase of lilies.
We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece.