Annunciations Of The City: Mary And Gabriel In Florence

The Annunciation is described in the Gospel of Luke as the moment in which God sent the Angel Gabriel to visit Mary and tell her that through the Holy Spirit, she will conceive the Christ child and become the mother of God. In terms of art history, Annunciation paintings are among my favorite visual depictions of any biblical narrative. As you can imagine, here in Florence, there are more paintings of the Annunciation than any one person could see in a lifetime. So I did my best to narrow down the countless photographs I've taken of them to just a dozen or so of my favorites.

The Castello Annunciation, Botticelli, 1489

Art works depicting the Annunciation can be identified by several common motifs, which the Botticelli work shown above serves as a good example for. Often the Angel Gabriel is depicted as entering from the outside while holding a white lily flower. The flower represents Mary's virginity or purity in the sense that she was born free from original sin. Mary is often shown greeting Gabriel, either sitting or standing inside a room with an open book. Often with Annunciation paintings, there is a unique relationship between the meeting of the external world and the internal. Mary is separate from all that is outside, and God's messenger, representing the external world, comes to meet her where she is. It is the world coming forth to meet the individual.

Annunciation, Botticelli, 1481

This second Annunciation by Botticelli is about 8 feet by 18 feet, and is absolutely massive compared to the first one I showed. Something interesting about these works is that the dress and setting of this painting was actually contemporary to Botticelli's time. Artists often based their works on the architecture and fashion of their own times, and thus here we can see what the Annunciation would've looked like if it occurred during the Renaissance. Thus, such depictions are not exactly "historically" accurate, but it does highlight the ways in which Renaissance art has shaped our imagination of the biblical period in which Jesus and Mary lived. Botticelli created this depiction around the same time he created the Primavera, and just a few years before he would paint The Birth Of Venus, and you can definitely see similarities in the ethereal way the Angel Gabriel is floating in from the left and side, and the face of Mary when compared to Venus.

Annunciazione, Ermanno Toschi, 1953

A little different from the previous works, here is an example of an Annunciation located on a street corner in Florence. This painting is a bit darker and somewhat harder to see due to the reflections on the glass, but it was painted and installed much more recently than Botticellis works. Countless shrines dot the many intersections and corners of the roads, and many depict various stories, scenes and religious figures.

Annunciation, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1472

This was one of Da Vinci's first true masterpieces when it came to his painting practice (he was only 20 years old!) and it was absolutely breathtaking to witness it in person at the Uffizi. It's much larger than this picture is able to do justice, standing in at just around 3 feet by 7 feet. The detail and dimension of the work cannot be understated. You never really see a work of art until you see it in person, and I think Da Vinci's Annunciation is an excellent (if not a truly frustrating) example of this. It's also a great example of what I had written early, of that tension between, or meeting of the external and the internal, with the garden Gabriel kneels in looking abundantly lush, and the cold smooth stone of the structure Mary sits in appearing almost austere.

Florence Cathedral, Mandorla Gate, Annunciation Mosaic,
Ghirlandaio Brothers, 15th C

This is the top of the Mandorla Gate on the side of the Florence Cathedral, often simply called the Duomo. Visible in this one is the Holy Spirit, depicted as a bird in the center flying in alongside Gabriel. The bright yellow parts of the mosaic are gold, and it shines brilliantly when the sun hits it. I believe the proper name for the section containing the Annunciation is the tympanum. Tympanums are the little niches above the doorways/entrances to churches. The artists were the Ghirlandaio brothers, one of whom (Domenico Ghirlandaio) was a teacher of Michelangelo.

Annunciation, Florence Cathedral, Marble Relief, 13th C?

Directly to the left of the Mandorla Gate was this small marble relief of the annunciation. I had difficulty finding any information about this, but it certainly stood out to me from any of the other things that rest upon the Duomo...

Annunciation with God the Father Blessing surrounded by Angels and Saints,
Originally Located in the Santa Maria Novelia Convent, 1385

Here was a massive polyptych (a work of art the consists of four or more panels joined together) featuring a host of saints, holy figures, and angels. The colors stood out the most to me in this work, and the blue was especially stunning in combination with the gold. During this period, most laymen could not read, and so religious art served to communicate narrative ideas through symbolic imagery. Thus the objects, colors, and gestures of the various figures all served as symbols that enabled the general public to recognize the characters and essentially made it possible for them to "read" the work.

Annunciation, Originally From The Santa Maria Nuova Hospital,
Artist Unknown, 1395-1400

This painting caught my attention at first due to Gabriel's wings. The array of colors were stunning, and the gold sky behind him offered a unique juxtaposition of the external compared to the sanctuary Mary sits in, and the dark door way slightly ajar behind her. I also thought this was a nice example of the transition between late gothic and early renaissance. Apparently it was also believed that this painting held miraculous properties, so I prayed a few Hail Mary's in front it just in case it could still work any miracles.

Annunciazione, Vittorio Corcos, 1904
Located at the Convento Di Francesco

Now this Annunciation was something quite different then any of the previous ones I'd seen. Far more modern then the others, the lighting, composition, and focus of the work is entirely different. Mary appears much older in this work, and is not yet aware of Gabriel joyously striding down the road to make his announcement. She appears bored, waiting for something she is not yet aware she is even waiting for. Sadly the quality of all of the photos seem to get worse as I upload them, so it's difficult to make out the detail, but Gabriel is my favorite part of the work, and closer up you can clearly tell the Angel is smilingly as he makes his way down the road.

Annunciation, Alessandro Allori, 1578-1579

This work by Alessandro Allori was another breathtaking one. Quite massive in size, it depicts Mary in a quiet room contemporary to the 16th century. This time however, it appears as though the heavens itself opens up above her, with the holy spirt and golden light pouring out down upon her, offering an incredible contrast to the once peaceful and quiet room she must have been sitting in only moments before. Gabriel is quite beautiful in this as the composition of his body draws the eye in an arch towards the heavens, leading the viewer to notice the entourage of cherubs joining Gabriel in his message to Mary.

Annunciation outside the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital,
Taddeo Zuccari, 1560

Following the grandeur of the previous Annunciation is this work by Zuccari located outside the oldest hospital in Florence. Again the heavens open up between Gabriel and Mary as the Holy Spirit descends upon her. Even larger than the previous, I loved the colors in this one much more. This time many more angels and heavenly figures are in attendance for the annunciation. My favorite part of this entire work however, is the tiny cat sleeping on the chair blissfully unaware of all that is above it, sitting in-between the angel and Mary.

Annunciazione, Artist Unknown, 1994

This relief sculpture was located on the wall behind the front desk of the convent/hostel my study abroad group and I stayed at while in Florence. I am unsure of who the artist is, but the atmosphere of the work is quite cozy. The way the artist colored or sanded the material, and the angle of the light source in the room which the work sits in makes it appear as if Mary is dozing off in front of a warm fire place, as a dog lies curled up next to her beneath the table. Gabriel stands in the entryway behind her, just about to wake her up, while the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove is just above him. The beautiful cyan color of the sky outside makes it appear is if the sun had only just set, and adds a nice contrast to the red terracotta color.

Annunciation, Matthias Stomer, 1637

Last but not least, is my favorite Annunciation painting I have seen thus far on my   study abroad trip. For a while after seeing this in the Uffizi, I believed it was by Caravaggio. However, the artist is actually a dutch painter by the name of Matthias Stomer. The candle almost seems as though it is real fire lighting up the figures in the frame. My favorite thing about this work is how accurate the expressions of the figures are. You can almost hear Mary say, "...Me?!" in response to what this stranger tells her after she invited him into her home. Gabriel doesn't even have wings, rather the only "supernatural" aspect of the work is the lily he holds which, upon closer inspection, is nearly transparent and you can see the fabric of his clothes beneath it. It's an extremely intimate scene, and so far removed from all the previous works I've shared on this blog, but still after seeing so many different iterations of the Annunciation, it remains my favorite.

There were many other works which I decided not the share on here, but still gained a permanent place in my mind (and my camera roll). There is something so moving about the idea of God coming forth and speaking to you in a place unreachable by all except for you and he (or she or it, not exactly sure what God's pronouns are). For Mary I suppose it was quite literal, but for us laypeople I think it's something each one of us can experience everyday through silent prayer or reflection. There is still at least one more annunciation that I studied quite a bit in my art history classes, which I have not yet seen but am planning on seeing later this week. It's located in the San Marco Convent and was painted by Fra Angelico. Perhaps afterwards I'll find the time to share all of the Annunciations I discovered here in Florence, but if not then you'll just have to come visit and see them all for yourself!

Ciao,

Matty Schule