What is "annunciation"

Annunciation \An*nun`ci*a"tion\ (?; 277), n. [L. annuntiatio: cf. F. annonciation.]

1. The act of announcing; announcement; proclamation; as, the annunciation of peace.

2. (Eccl.)

   1. The announcement of the incarnation, made by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.

   2. The festival celebrated (March 25th) by the Church of England, of Rome, etc., in memory of the angel's announcement, on that day; Lady Day.

early 14c., "Lady Day," from Anglo-French anunciacioun, Old French anonciacion, from Latin annuntiationem (nominative annuntiatio), noun of action from past participle stem of annuntiare (see announce). The Church festival (March 25) commemorating the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, foretelling the incarnation. General sense of "an announcing" is from 1560s. Old English for "Annunciation Day" was bodungdæg.

n. The act of annunciate.

The Annunciation (from the Vulgate Latin ), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Yehoshua , meaning "YHWH is salvation".

According to , the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. In England, this came to be known as Lady Day. It marked the new year until 1752. The 2nd-century writer Irenaeus of Lyon regarded the conception of Jesus as 25 March coinciding with the Passion.

The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Annunciation, by the Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio, dates from circa 1472–1475

"Leonardo da Vinci: The Annunciation" (overview),
ArtChive.com, 2009, webpage:
.

and is housed in the Uffizi gallery of Florence, Italy.

The subject matter is drawn from Luke 1.26-39 and depicts the angel Gabriel, sent by God to announce to a virgin, Mary, that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to a son, to be named Jesus, and to be called "the Son of God" whose reign would never end. The subject was very popular for artworks and had been depicted many times in the art of Florence, including several examples by the Early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico. The details of its commission and its early history remain obscure.

In 1867, following Gustav Waagen methods, Baron Liphart identified this Annunciation, newly arrived in the Uffizi Gallery from a convent near Florence, as by the young Leonardo, still working in the studio of his master Verrocchio. The painting has since been attributed to different artists, including Leonardo and Verrocchio's contemporary Domenico Ghirlandaio. It was more recently determined to be a collaboration between Leonardo and his master Verrocchio, with whom Leonardo collaborated on the Baptism of Jesus.

The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Italian master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, finished around 1608. It housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy.

The painting has been considerably damaged and retouched, and what remains of Caravaggio's brushwork is the angel, who bears a resemblance to the figure in John the Baptist at the Fountain. The illusionistic treatment of the angel, floating on his cloud and seeming to protrude outside the picture plane, is more Baroque than is normal for Caravaggio, but the contrast between the energetic pose of the heavenly messenger and the receptive Mary is dramatically and psychologically effective. The loose brushwork is typical of Caravaggio's later period.

The painting was given by Henry II, Duke of Lorraine, to his primatial church in Nancy as the main altarpiece, and was perhaps acquired by one of the Duke's sons in the course of a visit to Malta in 1608.

An "annunciation" is an announcement. The Annunciation, strictly the "Annunciation to Mary", is the revelation to Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God.

The term is also sometimes used as a formal term, especially in art history, of other similar biblical revelations to figures including Saint Joseph and the shepherds, or may refer to:

thumb|upright 1.2|The retable in its entirety thumb|upright 1.2|The Annunciation on its own The Annunciation (1425–1426) is a panel-painting altarpiece or retable by Fra Angelico, produced for the Convent of San Domenico in Fiesole and now in the Prado in Madrid.

Annunciation (or The Virgin Mary) is a panel painting by the German artist Stefan Lochner, the panels were probably conceived as outer wing for a lost an altarpiece. It shows the virgin, rather conventionally receiving the voice of the holy spirit, who hovers above her in the form of a dove. A vase behind her holds a lily. Her white clothes and the flower represent her virginity. It seems influenced by similar panels found in Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece.

The Annunciation is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Filippo Lippi, finished around 1445-1450. It is housed in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome.

Differences with other depictions of the Annunciation include the angel's position on the right and the use of a very bright source of light, inspired by works of Filippo Brunelleschi and Beato Angelico. On the top are the hands of God, emerging from the clouds and releasing the dove of the Holy Ghost. The dove descends along a luminous trail running toward the Virgin's shoulder, transmitting the Divine Will through materialized light.

The architectural framework may be the work of an assistant.

The Annunciation is a wall painting by the Italian mannerist artist Jacopo Pontormo, executed in 1527–1528 as part of his commission to decorate the Capponi Chapel in the church of Santa Felicita, Florence.

It is frescoed around the window on the wall adjacent to Pontormo's masterpiece, the famous Deposition from the Cross. Pontormo depicts the Annunciation, the revelation to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God, in a lively composition, with both figures in an elastic contrapposto.

The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan van Eyck, from around 1434-1436. The panel is housed in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C. It was originally on panel but has been transferred to canvas. It is thought that it was the left (inner) wing of a triptych; there has been no sighting of the other wings since before 1817. The annunciation is a highly complex work, whose iconography is still debated by art historians.

The picture depicts the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God ( Luke 1:26-38). The inscription shows his words: AVE GRÃ. PLENA or "Hail, full of grace...". She modestly draws back and responds, ECCE ANCILLA DÑI or "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord". The words appear upside down because they are directed to God and are therefore inscribed with a God's-eye view. The Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit descend to her on seven rays of light from the upper window to the left, with the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit following the same path; "This is the moment God's plan for salvation is set in motion. Through Christ's human incarnation the old era of the Law is transformed into a new era of Grace".

The Annunciation is a painting created by Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. It is a tempera on panel and measures 49.5 cm tall and 58.5 cm wide. It is in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

Its date is not certain though a majority of the critics consider it early, noticing certain elements reminiscent of Verrocchio. Van Marle, however, dates it circa 1490.

On the lower part there is a note that indicates that it came from the Florentine Church of Saint Barnabas.

The atmosphere is achieved through the succession of columns and sections of flooring that serve to demonstrate the perspective. The solemn architecture overlooks the figures.

The Annunciation is a tempera on panel painting by the Italian Renaissance master Filippo Lippi, dating to , in the collection of the National Gallery, London. It is a pendant to Lippi's Seven Saints, also in the National Gallery. The lunettes were commissioned as part of the decoration of the Palazzo Medici in Florence, where they were likely placed above a door or a bed.

There is general agreement on Lippi's authorship of the panels, but their dating is less certain; they were produced some time between Lorenzo the Magnificent's birth in 1449 and the completion of the palace's furnishing in 1459. That their patron belonged to the Medici family is testified by the presence of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici's coat of arms (three feathers crossed by a ring with diamond and cartouche) at the base of the small column with a vase which divides the painting in two.

The painting depicts the Annunciation of Mary with the archangel Gabriel (left) and Mary (right). God, whose hand can be seen at the lunette's top is blessing Mary through the dove symbolizing the Holy Ghost.

Both lunettes were acquired in 1855 from the Metzger Brothers by Sir Charles Eastlake and donated to the National Gallery in 1861.

The Annunciation (sometimes Diptych of The Annunciation) is an oil on wood in grisaille painting by the Early Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck, dated by art historians as between 1434 and 1436. The panels form a diptych, and are currently in the collection of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

The figures and iconography are very similar to those in the outer panels of van Eyck's earlier Ghent Altarpiece completed in 1432. However, their relative small scale suggests commission for private worship rather than public celebration.

The Annunciation (ca.1450) is an Early Renaissance fresco by Fra Angelico in the Convent of San Marco in Florence, Italy. When Cosimo de' Medici rebuilt the convent, he commissioned Fra Angelico to decorate the walls with intricate frescos (1439-1444). This included the altarpiece, the inside of the monk’s cells, the friar’s cloister, the chapter house, and inside the corridors; around fifty pieces in total. All of the paintings were done by Angelico himself or under his direct supervision. Out of all of the frescos at the convent, the Annunciation is the most well known in the art world.

The Annunciation is not Fra Angelico’s first painting on that theme nor his only one in the convent. His works are scattered across the world in well-known museums and galleries including the Prado. He is credited as the inventor of this type of composition, where Gabriel visits Mary in an outdoor setting. A typical Gothic Annunciation painting contained the archangel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary indoors and with Mary enthroned. The figures would appear flat, static, and unrealistic. This painting in particular is supposed to have "achieved heights of singular elegance." The way it handles space and lighting is revolutionary because it is a transition out of the Gothic period and into the Renaissance. Previous versions had no spatial awareness. The figures seemed to float in the air, and lines did not end in a vanishing point. This caused them to be lopsided and disproportional.

This particular version of the Annunciation is located at the top of the stairs on the first floor where the San Marco dormitories are located - on the north side. This is one of only three frescoes that Fra Angelico painted outside on the walls of the corridor instead of inside the cells. The staircase has undergone many renovations including modifications to the window which affects the amount of light entering the convent. This fresco was meant to be viewed under low light. When viewing the painting there is an invisible light source that would have made additional light unnecessary to the Monks viewing the painting. If visitors to the convent viewed the painting today, it would not look authentic. There are now lights illuminating it from many different angles. With its placement at the top of the stairs Fra Angelico sought to bring the scene into the convent and into the daily lives of the monks. A lighter painting at the time would have been used for decoration, while a darker one was meant for reflection and prayer.

The frescos inside the cells at the convent of San Marco were done with reserve. "They were intended for contemplation and meditation and a reflection on poverty. Gold leaf and azurite were reserved for Cosimo de' Medici in his private cell and for the frescos in public spaces in the corridors." The gold leaf and azurite were extravagant materials and were a luxury only given to Cosimo because he was a wealthy patron. The friars were given paintings in their cells for the sole purpose of praying. Even with the gold and azurite, the Annunciation in the north dormitory would have still been relatively dull because of its location in a convent. In the Annunciation Gabriel is seen approaching Mary outdoors in the cloister. Overlooking the loggia, an open-sided room of a convent that faces the outside, it is supported by columns. Gabriel is seen clad in pink and gold with multi-coloured wings stooping down with his gaze fixed on Mary. He is seen with his arms bent at the elbow with his hands crossed over his chest gesturing to Mary. Mary is depicted as sweet and innocent, yet taken aback by Gabriel's arrival. Her innocence and virginity is represented by the 'Hortus Conclusus' seen through the fence and the window in the background. Mary is seated facing him in her typical blue indicating her royal status and her purity. Her arms are folded in the same manner as Gabriel but this gesture shows her acceptance, humility, and submission. The cloister is surrounded by columns from the Composite order. They are all supporting Roman arches. Together they all work to frame Gabriel and Mary and highlight the focal point of the piece. The centre column in the foreground separates the painting into two spaces putting Gabriel and Mary at opposite ends, separating them but at the same time keeping them together.

This fresco was not intended just for aesthetic purposes. Running across the loggia at the bottom of the fresco there is an inscription that instructs the viewer: "Virginis Intacte Cvm Veneris Ante Fivvram Preterevndo Cave Ne Sileatvr Ave." It means when you come before the image of the Ever-Virgin take care that you do not neglect to say an Ave. This was a daily reminder for the monks to pray.

The Annunciation is an oil-on-oak panel painting attributed to the Early Netherlandish master Hans Memling. Completed c. 1482, it was partially transferred to canvas in the 1920s and is today held in the Robert Lehman collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. It shows the Virgin in a domestic interior, two attendant angels, the archangel Gabriel dressed in rich ecclesiastical robes, and a hovering dove. The painting is based and expands upon the Annunciation wing of Rogier van der Weyden's c. 1455 Saint Columba altarpiece. The Virgin simultaneously swoons and foreshadows the crucifixion. According to art historian Maryan Ainsworth, the work presents a "startlingly original image, rich in connotations for the viewer or worshiper." The simple iconography centers on the Virgin's purity; the Incarnation, the Virgin as mother and her role as bride and Queen of Heaven.

The original frame survived until the 19th century and was inscribed with a date believed to be 1482; 20th-century art historians suggested the number's final digit was a nine, which would give a date of 1489. In 1847 Gustav Friedrich Waagen described it as one of Memling's "finest and most original works". In 1902 it was exhibited in Bruges at the Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges, after which it underwent cleaning and restoration. Philip Lehman bought it in 1920 from the Radziwill family who may have had it in their family since the 16th century; Antoni Radziwill discovered it on a family estate in the early 19th century. At that time it had been pierced through with an arrow and required restoration.