 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Annunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Annunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Simone Martini andLippo Memmi |
| Year | 1333 |
| Type | Tempera and gold on panel |
| Dimensions | 305 cm × 265 cm (120 in × 104 in) |
| Location | Uffizi Gallery,Florence |
TheAnnunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus is a painting by the Italian Gothic artistsSimone Martini andLippo Memmi, now housed in theUffizi Gallery inFlorence,Italy. It is a woodentriptych painted in tempera and gold, with a central panel having double size. Considered Martini's masterwork and one of the most outstanding works ofGothic painting,[1] the work was originally painted for a side altar inSiena Cathedral.
The painting originally decorated the altar ofSaint Ansanus in the Cathedral of Siena, and had been commissioned as part of a cycle of four altarpieces dedicated to the city's patron saints during 1330–1350. These included thePresentation at the Temple byAmbrogio Lorenzetti (1342; at the altar ofSaint Crescentius), theNativity of the Virgin byPietro Lorenzetti (1342; at the altar ofSaint Sabinus), and aNativity, now disassembled, attributed toBartolomeo Bulgarini (1351; at the altar of Saint Victor). All the paintings represent episodes in theLife of the Virgin, and were crowned byDuccio di Buoninsegna'sMaestà. The artists' use of expensive lacquer, extensive gold leafing and the difficult to obtain lapis lazuli in the painting demonstrates the communal prestige of the commission.
The date of the painting is given in a fragment of the original frame, now embedded in the 19th-century renovation. It lists the names of Simone Martini and his brother-in-law Lippo Memmi (symon martini et lippvs memmi de senis me pinxervnt anno domini mcccxxxiii), although it is not known which parts were executed by which artist. A hypothesis is that Martini painted the central panel, while Memmi was responsible for the side saints and the tondi with prophets in the upper part.[1]
The work, in both size and style, has no similarities with any other contemporary painting in Italy. It can be compared instead to French illuminated manuscripts of that time, as well as to paintings from Germany or England. His "northern European" style granted Martini a call from the papal court inAvignon, where there were Italian but no Florentine painters, as theGiottesque classical manner was met with little interest by the Gothic culture of the area.[citation needed]
The painting remained in the cathedral until 1799, when Grand DukePeter Leopold had it moved to Florence in exchange of two canvasses byLuca Giordano. The original frame, carved by Paolo di Camporegio and gilt by Memmi, was renovated in 1420 and replaced by a modern frame in the 19th century.
The work is composed of a large central panel depicting theAnnunciation, and two side panels with Saint Ansanus (left), and female saint, generarally identified asSaint Maxima[2] orSaint Margaret, in the right, and four tondi in the cusps:Jeremiah,Ezekiel,Isaiah andDaniel.
TheAnnunciation shows the archangelGabriel entering the house of theVirgin Mary to tell her that she will soon bear the childJesus, whose name means 'savior'. Gabriel holds an olive branch in his hand, a traditional symbol of peace, while pointing at theHoly Ghost's dove with the other. The dove is descending from heaven, from the center of the mandorla of eight angels above, about to enter the Virgin's right ear. In fact, along the path of the dove, viewers see Gabriel's utterance:ave gratia plena dominvs tecvm ('Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.'). The angel's mantle shows a detailed"tartar cloth" pattern and fine gilt feathers.
Mary, sitting on a throne, is portrayed at the moment that she is startled out of her reading, reacting with a graceful and composed reluctance, looking with surprise at the celestial messenger. Her dress has anarabesque-like pattern.
At the sides, the two saints are separated from the central scene by two decorate twisting columns. The background, completely gilt, has a vase of lilies, an allegory of purity often associated with the Virgin Mary.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Detail of the Madonna from theAnnunciation | |
 Lecture about Simone Martini'sAnnunciation atSmarthistory[3] |
The use of a Gothic line, plus such realistic elements as the book, the vase, the throne, the pavement in perspective, the realistic action of the two figures and their subtle nuances of character are a substantial detachment from the two-dimensionality typical ofByzantine art.
Media related toAnnunciation by Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence at Wikimedia Commons