The Annunciation to the Virgin, who stands before a lectern. Engraving after F. Zuccaro.

Mary is seen standing in front of a lectern in a church-like interior, reading a Bible. Behind her, in an indentation in the wall, there is a vases standing upon some cloth. On the right of the lectern is a loom, which refers to Mary's days as seamstress in the Temple (on other significations, see L. Réau, 'Iconographie de l'art chrétien' (P.U.F. : Paris, 1957), p. 179)

Bible. N.T. Luke 1.26-35. The attitudes and postures of the Virgin and the angel have varied significantly and even interchanged in Christian iconography. The plethora of differing images of the Annunciation provides a real insight into the history of emotion and its representation in gesture. The variations of the Virgin's posture provide much of the interest. Her hand is usually active; sometimes she is intently studying, sometimes she is in a gesture of almost carnal surprise. She may be glorified, or on the other hand she may kneel. Then the angel varies in relation to her: he might kneel before her. After the Council of Trent, the angel was set in the air, "reacting against", as Réau suggests, "the excessive 'familiarity' of religious art of the 15th century". On these issues, see L. Réau, 'Iconographie de l'art chrétien'. Presses Universitaires de France : Paris, 1957, vol. 2, book 2, pp. 178-187 (particularly p. 182)

1 print : line engraving ; image 47.6 x 34.4 cm

Angelus domini nunciavit Mariae & concepit de spiritu santo. F. Zuccari inv.

Attribution not wholly certain. Lettering indistinct

Wellcome Collection 21648i