The Annunciation by F. Lippi COLLECTION (M 038)

“℣. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, ℟. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.” Thus begins the Angelus the Church’s thrice-daily prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) that commemorates the Incarnation at the Annunciation. + The Annunciation was an immensely popular subject in the art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. As a two-person composition, the subject lent itself to use on the outer leaves of triptychs: the angel on one leaf; Mary, on the other. A triptych is an artwork—most often a panel painting—that is comprised of three parts hinged together in such a way that it can be displayed open or folded shut. + Here, Filippo Lippi (1406-1469) has painted the Annunciation in tempera on wood in warm pinks, salmons, and reds and in both brilliant and dark blues. Both figures stand in their narrow respective spaces, the Archangel Gabriel bowing slightly to the gentle and sweetly featured Maiden Mary. + Saints_Aplenty likes a dark brown background for this image. A dark brown background gives viewers the impression that they are onlookers observing the scene through a window. But, as per usual, we have provided a Color Palette postcard for other suggested hues. + Feast of the Annunciation: March 25; Feast of St. Gabriel the Archangel: September 29