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The Angel of the Annunciation

Figure
ca. 1333-34 (made)
Artist/Maker
D' Agostino, Giovanni (maker)
Place of origin
Siena (made)

This Angel Gabriel is shown standing facing to the right with his right arm raised in salutation while his left hand which emerges from the heavy folds of the drapery probably originally held a spray of lilies. The figure appears to be closely related to a group of sculptures which originally appeared over the doorway of the Bishop's Palace at Volterra.


Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Figure
TitleThe Angel of the Annunciation
Materials and techniques
White marble
Marble
Brief description
Carved white marble figure of the Angel of the Annunciation, by Giovanni d'Agostino, Italian, 14th century
Physical description
Figure in white marble. The Angel Gabriel is shown standing facing to the right. The right arm is raised in salutation, the left hand, which emerges from the heavy folds of the drapery probably originally held a spray of lillies. The marble is considerably worn and chipped. The right arm has been broken and repaired above the writs.
Dimensions
  • Height: 77cm
Object history
Purchased from Mrs Walter Burns, North Mymms Park, Hatfield, Herts, for £500.
Subject depicted
Gabriel (Archangel)
Summary
This Angel Gabriel is shown standing facing to the right with his right arm raised in salutation while his left hand which emerges from the heavy folds of the drapery probably originally held a spray of lilies. The figure appears to be closely related to a group of sculptures which originally appeared over the doorway of the Bishop's Palace at Volterra.
Bibliographic references
  • Annual Review 1938. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1938, p.1, pl. 1.
  • Fry, Roger. Burlington Magazine XL, February 1922.
  • Cohn-Goerke, Werner. Burlington Magazine. LXXV. 1939. p. 186, pl. 11B
  • Garzelli, Annarosa. Sculture toscane nel Dugente e nel Trecento. Florence, 1969, no. 30, pp.168-170.
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1964. pp.34-5
  • Raggio, Olga. 'Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum' in Art Bulletin Vol. L. 1968. pp. 100.
  • Bese-Nantier, G. Les Sculptures Européennes du Musée du Louvre. Paris, 2006, p.154.
  • Country Life. vol. LXXV, 1934, Jan-March, pp.38-44, 66-71 and 90-95.
  • Marguerite, Marie-Lys and Dectot, Xavier, ed. by, D'Or et D'Ivoire, Paris, Pise, Florence, Sienne, 1250-1320, Snooeck and Louvre Lens, Lens, 2015, exh. cat., pp. 272-273
  • L'Art gothique siennois : enluminure, peinture, orfèvrerie, sculpture, Florence : Centro Di, 1983 no.57
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.25-1938

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O312598/the-angel-of-the-annunciation-figure-d-agostino-giovanni/
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