Annunciation thumbnail 1
Annunciation thumbnail 2
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images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Annunciation

Relief
1460-1500 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Germany (made)

Mother-of-pearl, jet coral and amber were selected by craftsmen for their beauty, durability and rarity. These materials often occurred in a particular geographical region. Coral for example was prevalent in Sicily and amber along the Baltic coast. Many of the religious items were portable, as were the small portraits. They were often made locally and then taken elsewhere. Pilgrims from all over Europe bought the jet images made in Santiago de Compostela.

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Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Christianity
Object type
Relief
TitleAnnunciation (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved mother of pearl
Mother of Pearl
Carving
Brief description
Carved mother of pearl relief depicting the Annunciation, South Germany, late 15th century
Physical description
Carved mother of pearl relief depicting the Annunciation. The Virgin who has flowing hair, kneels on the right with a book on her knees. On the left the angel kneels on his right knee, holding a sceptre and scroll in his left hand. The lily plant in a pot is on the extreme right.
A wall in the background is pierced by an arch and a two light square headed window. The relief is convex with the background cut away. Set into a modern, square wooden frame carved with scrolls.
Dimensions
  • Excluding modern frame diameter: 5.5cm
Credit line
Given by Mr T. Whitcombe Green
Subjects depicted
Christianity
Angels
Books
Lily of the Valley
Sceptres
Mary (Virgin Mary)
Gabriel (Angel)
The Annunciation
Summary
Mother-of-pearl, jet coral and amber were selected by craftsmen for their beauty, durability and rarity. These materials often occurred in a particular geographical region. Coral for example was prevalent in Sicily and amber along the Baltic coast. Many of the religious items were portable, as were the small portraits. They were often made locally and then taken elsewhere. Pilgrims from all over Europe bought the jet images made in Santiago de Compostela.
Bibliographic references
  • Husemann, S. Pretiosen persönlicher Andacht: Bild-und Materialsprache Spätmittelalterlicher Reliquienkapseln (Agnus Dei) unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Materials Perlmutter. (PhD thesis University of Cologne, 1998) Weimar, 1999. p. 241.
  • Büttner, A. Perlmutt: von der Faszination eines götthchen Materials. Petersberg, 2000. n. 196 on p. 144.
  • Cf. Königliche Museen zu Berlin. Beschreibung der Bildwerke der christlichen Epochen. 4. Die deutschen Bildwerke und die der anderen cisalpinen Länder. Berlin : Reimer, 1910. no. 903.
  • Bange, E. F. ed. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Die Bildwerke des Deutschen Museums. Zweitter Band. Die Bildwerke in Bronze und in Anderen Metallen. Berlin and Leipzig, 1923. no. 1528.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.26-1929

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Record createdNovember 2, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107038/annunciation-relief-unknown/
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