The Annunciation
Circle of Andrea Mantegna (Italian, 1431–1506)
1484/1519
- Medium
- Wool, silk, and gilt- and silvered-metal-strip-wrapped silk, slit, dovetailed and interlocking tapestry weave
- Classification
- Coverings and Hangings
- Dimensions
- 179.4 × 113.7 cm (70 5/8 × 44 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Mantua
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
One of the very few Italian tapestries to survive from before the 1540s, The Annunciation depicts the archangel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God. This is one of the most sacred events in the Christian faith, as it is the very beginning of Christ’s life and the Incarnation of the Word. The scene is charged with symbolism: the moment of conception is represented by the dove—standing for the Holy Spirit—in the sky between Gabriel and Mary; the archangel holds a lily, a symbol of purity; and in the near foreground are a guinea fowl and a peacock, both of which signify immortality, and two doves that represent the souls of the blessed. The coats of arms at the top belong to Francesco II Gonzaga (1466–1519), marquis of Mantua, and were added at an unknown date after the initial weaving had taken place. Such personalization of tapestry acquisitions was typical among noble families.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
