Cleveland Museum of Art

The Annunciation

Date

1380s

Medium

tempera and oil with gold on wood

Culture

Netherlands, or possibly France, 14th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This small but opulent panel painting was once joined to another panel with hinges to form a diptych. Given its small size, its original function was for private devotional use. It could be folded like a book when not in use and was highly portable. The missing panel has not been positively identified but probably represented another biblical scene like the Crucifixion. The painting’s refined and ornate style reflects the courtly aesthetic that appealed to royal and aristocratic patrons in the decades around 1400. On the panel’s richly tooled reverse (not visible) are the arms of the house of Hainault quartered with those of Bavaria. While this coat of arms is certainly that of the work’s patron, probably a member of the united dynasties of Hainault and Bavaria, their identity remains elusive. In this depiction of Gabriel, the angel's wings resemble the feathers of a peacock.

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