The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Annunciation
Description
The scene of the Annunciation to Mary that she will give birth to Christ is depicted here as a contemporary scene that may have been familiar to any viewer at the end of the 1400s. Mary is portrayed as an ordinary but wealthy woman who is interrupted by the Archangel Gabriel as she reads a book of hours. This type of book was enormously popular in the late Middle Ages as a prayer and devotional book, particularly among the wealthy, literate nobility, and city aristocracy.
Provenance
Graf Sierstorpff, Driburg, Germany; [Sale: Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, April 19, 1887, Berlin Germany, no. 106]; Eugen Schweitzer (1888–1981), Berlin, Germany; (M. Knoedler & Company, New York, NY); John L. Severance (1863-1936), Cleveland, OH; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Dimensions
50.2 × 41.5 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1942.635
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Albert Bouts (Netherlandish, 1451/55–1549)
Medieval Art • Netherlands, Leuven, 15th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery