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Description
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."
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio; (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); Albert Koppel, Switzerland and Toronto, Ontario, consigned to Rosenberg & Stiebel; Leopold Koppel [1854-1933], Berlin, by descent to his son, Albert Koppel; Balboni collection, Venice, probably sold to Leopold Koppel
Dimensions
150 × 133.4 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1950.251
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Paolo Veronese (Italian, 1528–1588)
European Painting and Sculpture • Italy, 16th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery