The Annunciation thumbnail 1
The Annunciation thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50b, The Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery

The Annunciation

Altarpiece
ca. 1510-1520 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

God the Father, shown above Gabriel’s head, releases the Holy Spirit towards Mary in the form of a dove. According to the Christian tradition this resulted in Christ’s conception. The theme of the Annunciation was especially popular in Tuscany as the feast of the Annunciation (March 25) marked the beginning of the New Year.

The composition may have been based on a painting. Identical pillars were used on an altarpiece in San Lucchese at Poggibonsi (1517 or 1514) by Giovanni della Robbia, who was one of the three sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) to enter his father's workshop.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 26 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Component
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Component
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
  • Altarpiece the Annunciation
TitleThe Annunciation (generic title)
Materials and techniques
White and porphyry, enamelled terracotta
Brief description
Altarpiece, enamelled terracotta, workshop of Giovanni della Robbia. Italy, Florence, ca. 1510-1520
Physical description
The scene is set between pilasters decorated with grotesque patterns. The rounded top is crowned by a palmette, and the base is supported on two brackets. The Virgin stands to the left in front of a canopied bed, between whose posts hang garlands. On this cornice are two vases filled with lilies. She looks down at the angel who kneels before her with a lily. Between them is a vase containing an unidentified plant. Above right a small figure of God the Father surrounded by cherubim despatches the Holy Spirit as a dove. The foreground is coloured in porphyry glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 235.6cm
  • Width: 141.3cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Object history
The composition may have been based on a painting. Identical pillars were used on an altarpiece in San Lucchese at Poggibonsi (1517 or 1514) by Giovanni della Robbia, who was one of the three sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) to enter his father's workshop.
Purchased in London.
Subjects depicted
Summary
God the Father, shown above Gabriel’s head, releases the Holy Spirit towards Mary in the form of a dove. According to the Christian tradition this resulted in Christ’s conception. The theme of the Annunciation was especially popular in Tuscany as the feast of the Annunciation (March 25) marked the beginning of the New Year.

The composition may have been based on a painting. Identical pillars were used on an altarpiece in San Lucchese at Poggibonsi (1517 or 1514) by Giovanni della Robbia, who was one of the three sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) to enter his father's workshop.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1860. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 11
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, pp. 81,82
  • Gentilini, Giancarlo (ed.). I Della Robbia e L'Arte Nuova della Scultura Invetriata, (exh. cat.). Fiesole, Basilica di Sant' Alessandro, 1998, pp. 250-251
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, pp. 234, 35
Collection
Accession number
7235:26-1860

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Record createdAugust 28, 2008
Record URL
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