Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Annunciation, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
China; after Jérôme Nadal; Publisher: Giulio Aleni
- Date
- 1637
- Medium
- Woodcut
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
These illustrations, one time accompanied by Chinese text, are based on Jerome Nadal's Images from the Gospels (Antwerp, 1593), a sumptuously illustrated Latin treatise produced at the instigation of Saint Ignatius Loyola. The images are emblems, with key elements notated and explained in turn. For example, A represents God's declaration of Christ's incarnation, and B shows the angel Gabriel delivering the news to Mary. At the far right, D marks Mary's house in Loreto, which became a pilgrimage site promoted by the Jesuits. (According to legend, angels carried Mary's house from Nazareth to the Italian town of Loreto in 1291.) Creation is depicted in the small vignette in the sky marked F, and the Crucifixion, as explained in note G, reminds the viewer of Christ's redemptive sacrifice. For the most part, the Chinese woodblock cutters faithfully reproduced the original engravings, adopting many of the European pictorial conventions. Mary's prie-dieu, for example, appears convincingly three-dimensional, though the room behind her lacks depth. Reminiscent of Chinese art, the swirling clouds are described with bold calligraphic lines, to wonderful effect. China, Asia
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.
Saint John the Baptist Preaching, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Mocking of Christ, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Christ at the Well, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Adoration of the Magi, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Christ in the Wilderness, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Risen Christ Appears to His Disciples, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Annunciation
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Lazarus at the House of the Rich Man, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Annunciation
Art Institute of Chicago
Caiaphas and the Council of Elders, plate from Giulio Aleni's Tianzhu jiangsheng zhuxiang jingjie (An Illustrated History of the Lord of Heaven Who Became Incarnate in the Flesh), Jinjiang Church, Fujian Province, China
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Annunciation
Getty Museum
The Annunciation
Getty Museum