Artwork
Annunciation to the Virgin
Annunciation to the Virgin is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Marcello Venusti. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious art, the composition focuses on this specific moment of divine revelation, illustrating the theological concept of the Incarnation.
Marcello Venusti's 1550 oil painting depicts the Annunciation, a central biblical event where the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. As a work of religious art, the composition focuses on this specific moment of divine revelation, illustrating the theological concept of the Incarnation. The scene captures the interaction between the celestial messenger and the Virgin, representing the pivotal transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament era within Christian tradition.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting created on canvas, measuring 41.7 cm in height and 30 cm in width. Executed in 1550, it depicts the Annunciation to the Virgin with a religious subject rendered in oil paint. The piece is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection.
History & Provenance
The Annunciation to the Virgin was commissioned and executed in 1550 by the Italian painter Marcello Venusti. The work is an oil painting on canvas measuring 41.7 cm by 30 cm, depicting the moment of the angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she would bear the Son of God. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display.
The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Its inventory number is SK-C-1123.
It was exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in 1900 as part of the "Oude Kunst" display, and again in 1934 in the exhibition "Meesterwerken uit vier eeuwen."
Overview
Created circa 1550, this oil painting portrays the biblical Annunciation, showing the Virgin Mary in a kneeling posture of prayer as an angel descends to announce the forthcoming birth of Christ. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies mid‑sixteenth‑century Italian religious art.
Context
Venusti’s career unfolded during the late Renaissance, a period when Italian artists often revisited biblical subjects for private devotion and public display. His approach combines the compositional clarity of the High Renaissance with the elegant elongation characteristic of Mannerism, situating the Annunciation within contemporary artistic trends.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Marcello Venusti (1512 – 15 October 1579) was an Italian Mannerist painter active in Rome in the mid-16th century.
