The Annunciation
Annunciation, c. 1434–1436. Oil on Canvas, transferred from wood to canvas,National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Artist	Jan van Eyck
Year	1434-1436
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Dimensions	90.2 cm × 34.1 cm (35.5 in × 13.4 in)
Location	National Gallery of Art,Washington DC, United States

TheAnnunciation is an oil painting by theEarly Netherlandish masterJan van Eyck, from around 1434–1436. The panel is housed in theNational Gallery of Art inWashington, D.C. It was originally onpanel but has beentransferred to canvas. It is thought that it was the left (inner) wing of atriptych; there has been no sighting of the other wings since before 1817. TheAnnunciation is a highly complex work whoseiconography is still debated by art historians. It was bought by the Tsar of Russia for theHermitage Museum, but was sold by Stalin's government in 1930.

The picture depicts theAnnunciation by theArchangel Gabriel to theVirgin Mary that she will bear the son of God (Luke 1:26–38). The inscription shows his words:AVEGRA PLENA ('Hail, full of grace...').^[1] She modestly draws back and responds,ECCE ANCILLAD[OMI]NI ('Behold thehandmaiden of the Lord').^[2] The words appear upside down because they are directed toGod and are therefore inscribed with a God's-eye view. Theseven gifts of the Holy Spirit descend to her onseven rays of light from the upper window to the left, with the dove symbolizing theHoly Spirit following the same path; "[t]his 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 ofGrace".^[3]

Mary was believed in the Middle Ages to have been a very studious girl who was engaged by theTemple of Jerusalem with other selected maidens to spin new curtains for theHoly of Holies.^[4] The book she is reading here is too large to be a lady'sBook of Hours; as in other paintings she is engaged in serious study in a part of the temple. (One medieval authority specified that she was reading theBook of Isaiah when Gabriel arrived.)^[5] The van Eycks were almost the first to use this setting in panel painting, but it appears earlier inilluminated manuscripts and in an altarpiece of 1397 from the same monastery for which this painting was probably ordered.^[6]

The architecture moves from older, roundRomanesque forms above, to (slightly) pointed Gothic arches below, with the higher levels largely in darkness, and the floor level well-lit.^[7] The gloom of theOld Covenant is about to be succeeded by the light of theNew Covenant. The flat timber roof is in poor repair, with planks out of place.^[8] The use of Romanesque architecture to identify Jewish rather than Christian settings is a regular feature of the paintings of van Eyck and his followers, and other paintings show both styles in the same building in a symbolic way.^[9]

The decoration of the temple is naturally all derived from theOld Testament, but the subjects shown are those believed in the Middle Ages to prefigure the coming of Christ theMessiah. In the floor tilesDavid's slaying ofGoliath (centre front) foretells Christ's triumph over the devil. Behind this,Samson pulls down the Temple of thePhilistines, prefiguring both the Crucifixion and theLast Judgement, according to medieval authorities. To the left,Delilah is cutting Samson's hair (Betrayal of Christ), and behind he slays the Philistines (Christ's triumph over sin). The death ofAbsalom and possibly that ofAbimelech are identified by some art historians, although only tiny sections are visible.Erwin Panofsky, who developed much of this analysis, proposed a scheme for the significance of theastrological symbols in the round border tiles, and other versions have been suggested.^[10] Gabriel appears to be placed over the sign of Aries, the sign for the time of the Annunciation. The Virgin Mary stands over her own sign, Virgo.^[11]

The rear wall has a single stained glass window, where Jehovah stands, above triple plain-glazed windows below, which perhaps suggest the ChristianTrinity. On either side of the single window are dim wall-paintings of the Finding of Moses byPharaoh's daughter (left, pre-figuring the Annunciation itself), and Moses receiving theTen Commandments (right, paralleling theNew Covenant Christ would bring). Below them are roundels withIsaac andJacob, for which various symbolic functions have been proposed.^[12] The lilies are a traditional attribute of Mary, standing for purity. The empty stool may be an "empty throne", a symbol for Christ going back to earlyByzantine art.^[13]

It has been suggested that Mary has been given the features ofIsabella of Portugal, wife ofPhilip the Good,Duke of Burgundy, who may well have commissioned the painting from van Eyck, his (part-time) court painter.^[14] Mary wears a robe in her usual blue, which is trimmed inermine, reserved for royalty, which would suit this theory, although the Middle Ages placed great emphasis on Mary'sroyal descent in any case. As is usual, especially in the North, Mary's features are less attractive than those of Gabriel; with his being a sexless angel there was considered to be no possibility of his beauty causing inappropriate thoughts in the onlooker. Neither figure has ahalo – these were being dispensed with in Early Netherlandish art in the interests of realism; eventually the Italians would follow. Mary's posture is ambiguous; it is not clear if she is standing, kneeling or sitting.^[15]

Many writers, including Hand, call the figures over-large compared to the architecture. This is certainly a feature of some of van Eyck's depictions of Mary in a Church setting, with a particular theological meaning. In theMadonna in the Church in theGemäldegalerie, Berlin, where this theme is most developed, the figure of Mary is some sixty feet high, filling much of the height of a tall Gothic church.^[16] It is not so clear that any effect of this type is intended here; there are no architectural fittings to give a clear scale to the building. If, for example, the setting were a first-floor room, or one giving on to a courtyard, the windows might be lower than is normal in a medieval church. The size of the plain glass roundels does not seem disproportionate to the figures.

Another of van Eyck's themes, and one employed by other Early Netherlandish painters, is indicated by the largecope over adalmatic worn byGabriel. This would, in a human being, mark him as a celebrant or attendant at aHigh Mass. Mary is facing a table with a book upon it about the right size to be aGospel Book orMissal, and has her hands raised in a gesture known as theexpansis manibus. This is certainly to convey the alarm and uncertainty with which she usually greets the surprising apparition of Gabriel and his news, but is also a gesture used by a priest at certain points of aMass.^[17] The painting has been connected with theGolden Mass ("Missa Aurea"), aliturgical drama, or dramatised Mass, popular in the Netherlands at the time, which included a staging of the Annunciation as theGospel reading.^[18][19] More generally, this is part of a common theme in Early Netherlandish art where Mary, as intermediary between the faithful and God, is compared to, or seen as, a priest celebrating Mass. Her personal sacrifice of her son is compared to the ritual sacrifice enacted by the priest in the Mass. In a surviving extreme example in theLouvre she is shown clearly wearing vestments and celebrating mass at analtar; more often, as here, the comparison is made more subtly.^[20]

The triptych would presumably have been an altarpiece for a side-altar or small chapel. The subjects of the other missing panels remain uncertain; aNativity orAdoration of the Magi are considered most likely for the central panel, at least twice as wide as this one, with aVisitation of Mary orPresentation of Jesus on the right-hand wing matching this one. The outer sides of the wings would probably have been painted in some fashion, but if there was a full scene, or even a figure ingrisaille on the back of this, it is unlikely it would have been discarded when the painting was transferred to canvas in the 19th century.^[21] No doubt the themes of this wing would originally have related to those in the other wings in ways we cannot now guess.

A cleaning in 1998, and examination by modern technical methods such as infrared reflectograms, has revealed much about van Eyck's technique here, which is consistent with other works of his such as theArnolfini Portrait. Hisunderdrawing has been revealed, and so have many changes made in the course of painting the work.^[22]

Van Eyck's superb oil painting technique is evident throughout.Gold leaf is only used for the seven rays coming in from the left; paint is used for all the gold on Gabriel, often workedwet-on-wet to achieve the textural effects of hisbrocaded clothes. In a shadowy area behind the stool van Eyck worked a glaze with his fingers.^[23] The play of light over the many different textures in the painting is brilliantly rendered, and the illusionistic detail, especially in Gabriel's rich costume, is exceptional.

Apart from several small changes in the position of hands and faces, the underdrawing shows that the small pilasters on the left wall were originally planned to be repeated on the rear wall, and to be much taller, reaching nearly to the roof, on both. The paint on the rear wall is thicker than on the left wall, so he may have painted the pilasters before changing his mind. In the underdrawing the ceiling planks are all in place, and there was also a light source to the right, for which the shadows are drawn.^[24]

The narrative scenes on the tiles replace a simpler decorative plan in the underdrawing, and the stool has become much larger. The vase of lilies was not only absent in the underdrawing, but was not reserved, that is to say that a space was not left for it in the paint for the Virgin's robe or the floor. This suggests it was only added late in the course of painting.^[25]

Examination of other major van Eyck works reveals similar developments from the underdrawing, and in the course of painting, in these works. It seems that van Eyck, perhaps acting with clerical advisers – although he appears to have been a considerable reader himself, liked to add further complexity to his compositions in the course of work on them.^[26]

The painting was transferred from panel to canvas in the 19th century. It received a major cleaning in 1998, when varnish and some overpaint was removed, and a technical study undertaken.^[27] Writing before this, the NGA catalogue described the painting as extensively restored.Craquelure (fine cracking to the surface) had been painted over, especially in the background. Repainted areas included parts of Gabriel's face and hair, and the Virgin's robe, which appeared to have also lost a layer of glaze.^[28]

The range of dates given for the painting was previously from 1428–1429 (Panofsky and others) to 1436–1437, but the discovery in 1959 of a date of 1437 on an altarpiece in theGemäldegalerie Alte Meister,Dresden, has considerably changed all dating of works by van Eyck, and "makes it all but impossible to continue dating theAnnunciation before 1432" (Hand). The painting appears stylistically to come between theGhent Altarpiece and late works such as the BerlinVirgin in a Church.^[29]

Two authorities have considered the painting to belong to Jan's brotherHubert van Eyck, who died in 1426. It is thought that the recent cleaning or technical investigation has tended to confirm the majority view that it is an autograph work by Jan.^[30]

Theprovenance of the painting, as far as it is known, is:^[31]

• 1791 – A visitor to theChartreuse de Champmol, aCarthusian monastery inDijon, now in France, but in the 15th century the capital of theDuchy of Burgundy, recorded seeing in thePrior's room paintings, originally in the ducal chapel of the monastery: "... paintings on wood of the type of the earliest Flemish painters, which come from the chapels of the Dukes; they are about four feet high. The first, about a foot wide, is an Annunciation..." The monastery was very largely destroyed in theFrench Revolution, but had been the burial place of the Dukes of Burgundy, and contained many important works.^[32] The painting mentioned is thought likely to be the Washington painting, although the measurements (in the Frenchpied, orfoot, of the period) do not match very exactly.
• 1817 – Bought at an auction sale in Paris by the major dealer C. J. Nieuwenhuys of Brussels, who sold it toWilliam II, King of the Netherlands. In Brussels until 1841, then in The Hague. In a book of 1843 Nieuwenhuys says of the picture that it was "from a set with two others by the same master, painted forPhilip the Good and destined to adorn a religious foundation in Dijon". A modern scholar has also claimed that the Virgin has the features of Philip's DuchessIsabella of Portugal.
• 1850 – Lot 1 in an auction in The Hague, bought by CzarNicholas I of Russia for theHermitage Museum inSaint Petersburg. Probably between 1864 and 1870 the Hermitage transferred it to canvas, as is often done withpanel paintings when the wood develops problems.
• 1929 – Franz Matthiesen, a young German art dealer, was asked by the Soviet Government to compile a list of the hundred paintings in Russian collections which should never be sold under any circumstances. He was most surprised to be shown several of these paintings not long afterward in Paris byCalouste Gulbenkian, who had traded them with the Russians for oil. Gulbenkian wanted him to act as his agent on further purchases, but Matthiesen insteadformed a consortium withColnaghi's of London andKnoedler & Co. of New York, which in 1930 and 1931 bought paintings and other works from the Russians, of whichtwenty-one paintings were bought byAndrew Mellon, who had been offered first refusal. All are now in theNational Gallery of Art in Washington, where they form some of the most important paintings in the collection (two works by Raphael, also including works by Botticelli, Titian, Veronese, Velázquez, Rembrandt).^[33]
• 1930 – Bought by Andrew Mellon via the consortium described above. In 1931 it was deeded to theMellon Trust, which gifted it in 1937 to the National Gallery of Art, whose construction began in that year.^[34][35][36]

• 
  Gabriel
• 
  Mary
• 
  Circle of van Eyck, orPetrus Christus. TheFriedsam Annunciation from the Metropolitan; the right side of the doorway is Romanesque (Old Covenant), and the left Gothic (New Covenant). The garden is overgrown, with the outer wall falling down.^[37]
• 
  TheAix Annunciation, generally attributed toBarthélemy van Eyck, presumed to be related to Jan, with many similarities in the treatment.

• Gifford, E. Melanie,The Art Bulletin, March 1999: "Van Eyck's Washington 'Annunciation': technical evidence for iconographic development", Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 108–116, Page references are to online version, no longer available (washere),JSTOR 3051289
• Hand, J. O., & Wolff, M.,Early Netherlandish Painting (catalogue), National Gallery of Art, Washington/Cambridge UP, 1986,ISBN 0-521-34016-0. Entry pp. 75–86, by Hand.
• Harbison, Craig,Jan van Eyck, The Play of Realism, Reaktion Books, London, 1991,ISBN 0-948462-18-3
• Jacobus, Laura,The Art Bulletin, March 1999: "Giotto's 'Annunciation' in the Arena Chapel, Padua", Vol. 81, No. 1 (Mar., 1999), pp. 93–107 Page references are to the online version, no longer available (washere),JSTOR 3051288
• Lane, Barbara G.,The Altar and the Altarpiece, Sacramental Themes in Early Netherlandish Painting, Harper & Row, 1984,ISBN 0-06-430133-8
• Purtle, Carol J.,The Art Bulletin, March 1999, "Van Eyck's Washington 'Annunciation': narrative time and metaphoric tradition", Vol. 81, No. 1 (Mar., 1999), pp. 117–125. Page references are to the online version, no longer available (washere),JSTOR 3051290
• Schiller, GertrudeIconography of Christian Art, Vol. I, 1971 (English trans. from German), Lund Humphries, London, pp. 33–52 & figs. 66–124,ISBN 0-85331-270-2
• Walker, John,The National Gallery, Washington, Thames & Hudson, London, 1964.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAnnunciation by Jan van Eyck (Washington DC).

• Robert Hughes from Artchive
• Between the Angel and the Book: The Female Reading Subject of Early Modern Flemish Annunciation Painting, byElizabeth Losh, University of California, Irvine
• Discussion on Mary as a priest

• 1430s paintings
• Paintings by Jan van Eyck
• Paintings of the Annunciation
• Paintings in the National Gallery of Art
• Paintings in the Hermitage Museum
• Arts in the court of Philip the Good
• Books in art
• Paintings of the Holy Trinity
• Oil on canvas paintings

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Pages using infobox mapframe with missing coordinates
• Pages using infobox artwork with the material parameter
• Commons category link is on Wikidata