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The Annunciation

Albrecht Dürer

1504

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Religious

Dominant colour

The Annunciation is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1504 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see an angel with huge wings telling a young woman she’ll have a baby—God’s son. Mary kneels in a fancy stone room, looking small next to the angel and the tall columns. Dürer made the angel feel powerful, not gentle. The folds in his robe and the way light hits the walls show off Dürer’s skill with math and space. Tiny details, like the dove above Mary’s head, were important symbols for Christians at the time. To see how other artists painted the same moment, look up *sfumato*.

The story of this work

Overview

Dürer’s Gabriel is no humble messenger: he commands the space with rippling drapery and an expansive spread of wings. Indeed, it is Mary who seems submissive, dwarfed by the massive architecture and her new responsibility as the mother of God. The grand setting underscores the drama of the moment and displays Dürer’s command of mathematical perspective. Details in Dürer’s Annunciation held significance for European Christians. For example, the dove hovering above Mary’s head in a blaze of light indicates the moment the Holy Spirit impregnates her; the Old Testament heroine Judith, depicted in…

Did you know?

Dürer's cycle depicting Mary's life, which gained instant acclaim, was remarkable not only for its theological accuracy but also for its unprecedented wealth of detail.

Read the full account in the museum source.