The Annunciation
Panel
late 14th century (made)
late 14th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This subject, made in England in the late 14tyh century, probably formed the first panel in an altarpiece or was used for private devotion. This representation conforms to the usual iconography of representations of the Annunication.
There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed. The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed. The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Annunciation (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved alabaster |
| Brief description | Panel, alabaster, The Annunciation, England, late 14th century. |
| Physical description | The top of the panel is battlemented. The Virgin Mary, bareheaded and wearing a gown and a robe draped from the left, sits at a bench-desk which extends across most of the bottom of the panel. She holds an open book originally doubtless bearing Isaiah's prophecy as a painted inscription, the front cover resting on the desk, the other on her lap. She looks up to her right at the archangel Gabriel, her right hand raised in acknowledgement of his salutation. The winged figure of the angel, wearing a gown and robe, stands on a ledge. He leans forward, turning, his left leg facing the front of the panel, pointing at Mary with his right hand. A scroll, held in his left, curves down, enclosing the figure of Mary, to touch her desk. It no doubt carried an inscription of the angel's salutation. A vase with three lily flowers stands in the bottom left-hand corner. The handle of the vase is missing. The top right-hand corner of the battlementing is missing. No paint survives. The back of the panel bears four lead-plugged holes. The bottom of the panel is scooped away and near the top of the panel the alabaster has likewise been scooped out. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA |
| Object history | Acquired by Dr W. L. Hildburgh in London. Previously may have been in Madrid. On loan from him since 1925. Given by Dr Hildburgh in 1946. Historical significance: Remarkably similar in design to an example in Nottingham Castle Museum, this panel is doubtless by the same craftsman. There is also a close similarity in style to the fragment in the British Museum from Kettlebaston. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This subject, made in England in the late 14tyh century, probably formed the first panel in an altarpiece or was used for private devotion. This representation conforms to the usual iconography of representations of the Annunication. There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed. The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. |
| Bibliographic reference | Cheetham, Francis. English Medieval Alabasters. Oxford: Phaidon-Christie's Limited, 1984. p. 166 (cat. 93), ill. ISBN 0-7148-8014-0 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.75-1946 |
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| Record created | November 15, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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